Writing My Part §

The expanse of Cambodia’s tourism sector along with the globalizing and liberalizing aspects of the country also brought on many effects on the country’s social environments. In this respect, the globalized tourism’s affects on Cambodia’s society could be based on how the way people lived in Cambodia has changed between its pre- and post-globalized era. As a start, the change has improved the quality of life of local communities outside the capital, city centers, and general population centers to more niche locations of the country which helped sprout new markets, based on tourism and the service sector itself (Project, 2013). According to a 2020 survey conducted by the Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia, social media now have a profound impact on tourism in Cambodia. The increase in technology usage and the accessibility of internet had radically shifted the way tourism functions. Social medias has popularized reviews, blogging websites, and sensational posts that are seen by people, either foreign or domestic, which facilitates aspiring travelers to plan their trip successfully. This has caused a switch in the way tourists search for their destinations by comparing their experiences with strangers online in a social network instead of the traditional tourism booklets or a whimsical adventure (Ly Bora & Romny, 2020). The expanding tourism sector of Cambodia positively impacts Cambodia and its large cities in ways of economic boosts, employment opportunities, foreign exchange earnings, and expanse of the service industry. However, this creates the problem of inequality in prosperity in the face of globalization. Remote and rual destinations with less attractive spots and points of interest experiences very little of these benefits brought on by the growth of tourism (“Why Sustainable Tourism in Cambodia,” n.d.). Nevertheless, there is a growing concept called ‘Community based tourism’ which could be the solution to the problem. Community based tourism is a style of traveling where rather than tourist hot spots, travelers plan to visit less flashy and lesser noticed, but nevertheless beautiful and genuine parts of the country. Travelers could visit small village and interact with its people which allows them to earn extra income from these opportunities (What Is Community Based Tourism (and Why Does It Matter?, 2019). Aside from impacts of tourist destinations, the increase in tourism would also help in removing prejudices of nationalism and pride and promote better mutual understanding between the hosts and guests in the tourism sector. Tourism also allows Cambodians to feel pride in showing off their ancestral heritage and make the world more aware of it (Project, 2013). Still, the tourism sector have issues such as water shortages. Very evidently, Cambodia’s tourism sector uses an obscene amount of water in comparison to the general population to maintain its golf courses, swimming pools, hotels, and for tourists’ personal use (“Why Sustainable Tourism in Cambodia,” n.d.). It can also be said that tourism negatively affect indigenous people and their culture. It is observed that evictions happen often, economic dislocation, a breakdown of traditional values, commodification of culture, and the degradation of historical sites and buildings are destroyed to build tourist facilities.