A familiarization trip to promote ecotourism sites in Tonle Sap Lake… — USAID Conserve - អភិរក្ស — TG.ME

☀️🏞 A familiarization trip to promote ecotourism sites in Tonle Sap Lake, Phnom Tbeng Natural Heritage Park, and the Upper Mekong River 🌳🌊 Community-based ecotourism promotion is important for the local community’s economy and the protection of natural resources. USAID Conserve recently conducted a familiarization trip of three community-based ecotourism (CBET). The CBETs visited included Anlung Ta Our in Tonle Sap, Battambang province; Tang You in Preah Vihear province; and Koh Samseb in Kratie province. Participants included Phnom Penh and Siem Reap based tour operators, social media influencers, and journalists. There were 18 participants on the trip. The purpose of the trip was to promote the CBETs through social media influencers, tour agents, and local media and encourage Cambodians to visit the sites over their holidays. 💧 At Anlung Ta Our, participants experienced life in a floating village, enjoyed sunrise and sunset views on the Tonle Sap Lake, and observed waterbird species at Prek Toal Ramsar site. At Tang Yu CBET in Phnom Tbaeng Natural Heritage Park, participants hiked over 1000 meters to the mountain top, visited shrines and pagodas, viewed rugged cliffs, waterfalls, wildflowers, and giant trees, and camped overnight. At Koh Samseb CBET, located on an island in the Upper Mekong River, the group camped on the beach, kayaked between islands, feasted on freshly caught fish from the Mekong, viewed a traditional dance ceremony by the Bunong people, went birding, photographed the flooded forest by day and the Milky Way galaxy by night, and were entranced by a stunning sunset and sunrise. 🚌 Now that tour operators are familiar with these CBETs, they can better introduce the sites to their clients and ensure that local communities are involved in all aspects of site visits. Social media influencers and local media will also recommend visiting these sites through vlogs and other social media content. For local communities, income generation through ecotourism encourages communities and local authorities to maintain these pristine ecosystems and quickly address any natural resource crime. 📱 Facebook    📱 Telegram 📱 LinkedIn      🌐 Exposure 📱 Instagram   📱 YouTube 📱  X #USAIDCambodia #USAIDConserve #forest #wildlife #river #conservation