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Cambodia: Re-imagining sustainable tourism
Impact Hub Phnom Penh, co-financed by Khmer Enterprise (KE), under the ministry of Economy and Finance, as the main sponsor and the Ministry of Tourism, is launching a Khmer Tourism for the Future incubator.
This is a programme designed to build resilience and innovation in the tourism sector that has been hit badly by COVID-19.
The programme aims to provide startups and businesses intensive support to rebuild and re-imagine tourism in the next 12 months and pave a new future for sustainable tourism
The programme is designed for entrepreneurs with an environmentally friendly prototype or business that has the potential to affect the domestic tourism sector across Cambodia
The ultimate goal of the incubator is to validate and grow alternative models for doing businesses, focusing on the domestic market
“As a unit under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Khmer Enterprise has the vision to become the national platform for promoting entrepreneurial activities in Cambodia
“Khmer Tourism for the Future programme intends to support earlystage entrepreneurs in the tourism sector through a business master class, mentorship, networking, and fieldwork, which support both KE’s prioritised sectors and activities,” said Chhieng Van Munin, chief executive officer of Khmer Enterprise
“This programme will inject new innovative ideas in the tourism sector to make it ready for the post- COVID-19
KE is positive that many entrepreneurs will gain benefits such as soft skills and access to networks from this programme
Most importantly, KE also believes this activity encourages more diversity to support the local economy,” Munin added
“During this period of great uncertainty and disruption in the tourism sector, we are excited to help entrepreneurs pivot or develop new ideas that can grow into viable businesses
“Tourism is one of the most important sectors in Cambodia’s economy, but has quite possibly been transformed forever
It is now, during this period of uncertainty, that we must come together to re-imagine what the future of tourism can and should look like and build or pivot our startups and businesses to prepare for this future,” said Olivia Hough, managing director of Impact Hub Phnom Penh “We..
are excited to be part of this incubation programme
Together, we will build our future tourism in Cambodia in more resilient, inclusive and sustainable ways
“During this hard time of COVID-19, we need to re-engineer our tourism development agenda beyond what we have been thinking and doing as usual
Embracing SME [small and medium enterprise] tourism startups is actually a vital step
We are hoping to see the new creative tourism startups that could not only contribute to a digital tourism development, but also boost our local and national economic development in Cambodia,” said Sok Sokun, vice-project manager
Support offered on the programme includes: Funding: Those selected to join the “Incubation Phase” will have a chance to pitch for a grant award from Khmer Enterprise; Workshops: Business workshops delivered by tourism and business experts; Coaching: Personal mentors to support entrepreneurs’ personal development; Mentoring: Sector and industry experts for tailored expert support; Network & Connections: Access to Impact Hub’s national and international network, with strategic connections for partnership development; Fieldwork: Advice on how to conduct regular field trips and analyse the results of testing prototype and business models
Demo Days: An opportunity for participants to showcase their business in front of investors, strategic partners and the public to build the nation and region-wide exposure and awareness
Field trip: A chance to get to know their cohort and understand the market better by attending a field trip outside Phnom Penh
The launch event for the incubator will be on Thursday between 3pm and 5.30pm
The event will be a chance to learn more about the programme and timeline and hear from experts about tourism trends, plus network with other tourism industry leaders
This event will be live on Impact Hub Phnom Penh Facebook pages
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50753983/re-imagining-sustainable-tourism/