Cambodia for millionaires

April 22, 2013 | 
Property Report

Immerse yourself

It appears Khiri Travel, an “independent destination management company” has started to offer a “Cambodia Immersion Trip for Millionaires”.

The itinerary, according to the company, will take millionaires “who seek immersion in Khmer culture” on a 10-day excursion by helicopter and private jet to visit mountain temples and dine in private while enjoying the view of the Angkor Wat. Need I point out the elephant in the room?

I don’t have a problem with comfort and high end travel – I work on a luxury property magazine – but I have a problem with the destination management company in question selling this trip as the ultimate immersion into Khmer culture. As far as my modest studies of Khmer culture go, private jets and helicopters is not part of Khmer culture, unless, of course, you were part of the elite.

Ignoring the marketing spiel, I suppose the fact that Cambodia can now be considered a luxury travel destination can be a good thing. A lot of the foreign investment that poured into Thailand and other places in Southeast Asia in the 70s, 80s, and 90s were connected to the growing tourism industry, improving infrastructure and creating jobs and new industries. The same may happen in Cambodia, should the country become a mainstream travel destination.

Some will even say it’s already happening. The IMF forecast the country’s GDP to grow 6.7 percent this year on the back of strong performances in the real estate, construction and agriculture sectors, while the Asian Development Bank forecast as much as seven percent growth. Tourism arrivals in 2012 reached more than 3.5 million, up 24.4 percent over 2011. The New York Times reported that in 2012, for the first time since record keeping began in the 1970s, Cambodia received more foreign investment per capita than China. In other, darker news, The Cambodia Daily reported that the country is expanding as a destination for sex tourists and human trafficking and that it has become a major source of heroin sent to Australia, according to a report released by the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Parallels can be drawn.

So what destination management firms like Khiri Travel should do is stop pretending that private helicopters and jets will immerse anyone in anything other than self-indulgence. Being honest and real about what is taking place in Cambodia right now will go along way in making sure the progress will be for the better.