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Cambodia: Eco-label initiative for coast kicks off
The government has launched an eco-label programme to categorise beaches in the kingdom, hoping to attract more tourists to the coastal regions of the country, the Minister of Tourism announced this week.
Minister Thong Khon said on Monday that they have established four different categories: conservation beach, eco-beach, luxury beach, leisure popular beach, and local beach.
“The initiative seeks to boost tourism in our four coastal provinces, while also protecting the environment,” Mr Khon said.
Ho Vandy, secretary-general of the Cambodia National Tourism Alliance, welcomed the move, arguing that the eco-label programme helps tourists decide what beach they want to visit, and may attract more wealthy tourists to the kingdom.
“Rich tourists will spend a lot of money, so the government wants to target them. I think this programme does just that,” he said.
The ministry is now seeking approval from the government to initiate a project that seeks to turn the island of Koh Rong in Sihanouk Province into a plastic-free, world-class eco-tourism destination by the year 2020.
The minister also asked the governors of the four coastal provinces to cooperate with the National Committee for Clean City Assessment to create at least one tourism park in each province.
The governors were also tasked with establishing at least one “model beach” for their province.
Last year, Cambodia welcomed 5.6 million tourists, generating $3.4 billion in revenue for the sector and nearly 620,000 direct jobs. Cambodia is expected to welcome 6.1 million tourists in 2018 and 10 million in 2025.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50487615/eco-label-initiative-for-coast-kicks-off/