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Make the nation's capital Phnom Penh a top urban heritage destination in SEA

September 30, 2022
Puthivoleak Heng - Confluences Access during the steering group committee

The Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia has partnered with ourselves and New York-based tourism development company Trove Tourism Development Advisors to develop a Sangkat-Level urban tourism plan, focused on the Phsar Kandal Ti Muoy/Riverside and Wat Phnom/La Poste areas of Phnom Penh. This project is directly funded by and in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and is a part of the Tourism Commercial Capacity Building Program. The project was launched with great optimism by the Ministry of Tourism and private sector stakeholders in May 2022, with the goal of developing the final urban tourism plan that can be applicable to a wider Cambodian context by the end of this calendar year. 

The objective of this activity is to create a Sangkat Level Model Urban Tourism Plan to support the sustainable local economic development of the proposed areas and to enable the local community to benefit from the natural and cultural heritage. The plan will deliver an international model for heritage tourism development and preservation adapted to the Cambodian context. The team’s ultimate goal is to create these Sangkats as premier sustainable urban heritage tourism destinations.

Although this plan will provide a framework to enhance the quality of the tourism potential of the target area in a structured manner, it will also provide a replicable model for localised urban tourism planning in other cities and towns in Cambodia. 

This project brings renewed optimism that tourism across Cambodia can develop while still protecting heritage sites across the Kingdom. “This specific project not only focuses on Phnom Penh but also aims to develop a standard process that the Ministry of Tourism and related tourism development stakeholders can use to develop tourism destinations out of urban heritage locations in the future,” expressed Soreasmey Ke Bin, CEO of Confluences.

The cultural heritage of many areas of Phnom Penh have for a long time been a topic of concern and discussion. Private and public sector actors have worked to establish a balance between preserving heritage buildings as well as developing tourism growth in Phnom Penh. The cultural heritage of historic cities in emerging economies is constantly under threat through development. It is however recognised that these resources in urban areas are a key driver for tourism. 

“Urban heritage sites have the propensity to drive immense growth in tourism visitors, repeat visitors, and tourism GDP. However, it is important to balance these aims with a continued focus on preserving these sites, respecting the local residents and businesses, and working within the existing culture,” said Danny Cohanpour, CEO of Trove Tourism Development Advisors. “We’ve seen time and time again in destinations around the world, that when this balance is met, the destination’s tourism industry is benefited.”

Across the world the cities that have capitalised on these, and combined preservation with sustainable development, have seen major economic benefits in their tourism potential. Having an attractive, accessible, and safe historic heart to a city increases its attractiveness not just to leisure tourists, but also for business travel and MICE travelers. It is as important for domestic tourism as it is for international tourism. 

The Phsar Kandal Ti Muoy/Riverside and Wat Phnom/La Poste area was a tourism hotspot prior to the impacts of COVID-19 and these Sangkats are widely recognised by both the tourism sector and those concerned with protecting Phnom Penh’s heritage as priorities for development. The proposed activity has the support of the private sector which recognises the importance of improving tourism options in Phnom Penh. 

A parallel activity will be the creation of a SMART digital tourism output to support enhancing visitor experiences in the target (and wider) areas. It is expected that both activities will engage with each other to ensure mutual exchange of data and ideas. There will be, by their nature, a commonality in local stakeholders.

With this aim in mind, our teams have collaborated to carry out site audits. Architecture, signage, environmental deterioration, cultural and historic value, resident interactions, social context, and visitor experience were among the aspects we examined. All of this data was vital to our city-wide steering group's meeting and will be used to create a large portion of our urban tourism plan for Phnom Penh, to be completed by the end of 2022.

The steering group comprised of over 60 stakeholders from the local ecosystem, including representatives of the local communities, major Cambodian ministries and public institutions, real estate investors and developers, hospitality professionals of all sizes, as well as tour boats and travel agencies, for an afternoon of brainstorming to create new concept ideas for the improvement of these two Phnom Penh Sangkats. Other steps are forthcoming, such as the structure and the content of the map and the final report. 

Trove and Confluences teams during a site audit
Participants lors de l'inscription du comité de pilotage

Make the nation's capital Phnom Penh a top urban heritage destination in SEA

September 30, 2022
Puthivoleak Heng - Confluences Access during the steering group committee

The Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia has partnered with ourselves and New York-based tourism development company Trove Tourism Development Advisors to develop a Sangkat-Level urban tourism plan, focused on the Phsar Kandal Ti Muoy/Riverside and Wat Phnom/La Poste areas of Phnom Penh. This project is directly funded by and in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and is a part of the Tourism Commercial Capacity Building Program. The project was launched with great optimism by the Ministry of Tourism and private sector stakeholders in May 2022, with the goal of developing the final urban tourism plan that can be applicable to a wider Cambodian context by the end of this calendar year. 

The objective of this activity is to create a Sangkat Level Model Urban Tourism Plan to support the sustainable local economic development of the proposed areas and to enable the local community to benefit from the natural and cultural heritage. The plan will deliver an international model for heritage tourism development and preservation adapted to the Cambodian context. The team’s ultimate goal is to create these Sangkats as premier sustainable urban heritage tourism destinations.

Although this plan will provide a framework to enhance the quality of the tourism potential of the target area in a structured manner, it will also provide a replicable model for localised urban tourism planning in other cities and towns in Cambodia. 

This project brings renewed optimism that tourism across Cambodia can develop while still protecting heritage sites across the Kingdom. “This specific project not only focuses on Phnom Penh but also aims to develop a standard process that the Ministry of Tourism and related tourism development stakeholders can use to develop tourism destinations out of urban heritage locations in the future,” expressed Soreasmey Ke Bin, CEO of Confluences.

The cultural heritage of many areas of Phnom Penh have for a long time been a topic of concern and discussion. Private and public sector actors have worked to establish a balance between preserving heritage buildings as well as developing tourism growth in Phnom Penh. The cultural heritage of historic cities in emerging economies is constantly under threat through development. It is however recognised that these resources in urban areas are a key driver for tourism. 

“Urban heritage sites have the propensity to drive immense growth in tourism visitors, repeat visitors, and tourism GDP. However, it is important to balance these aims with a continued focus on preserving these sites, respecting the local residents and businesses, and working within the existing culture,” said Danny Cohanpour, CEO of Trove Tourism Development Advisors. “We’ve seen time and time again in destinations around the world, that when this balance is met, the destination’s tourism industry is benefited.”

Across the world the cities that have capitalised on these, and combined preservation with sustainable development, have seen major economic benefits in their tourism potential. Having an attractive, accessible, and safe historic heart to a city increases its attractiveness not just to leisure tourists, but also for business travel and MICE travelers. It is as important for domestic tourism as it is for international tourism. 

The Phsar Kandal Ti Muoy/Riverside and Wat Phnom/La Poste area was a tourism hotspot prior to the impacts of COVID-19 and these Sangkats are widely recognised by both the tourism sector and those concerned with protecting Phnom Penh’s heritage as priorities for development. The proposed activity has the support of the private sector which recognises the importance of improving tourism options in Phnom Penh. 

A parallel activity will be the creation of a SMART digital tourism output to support enhancing visitor experiences in the target (and wider) areas. It is expected that both activities will engage with each other to ensure mutual exchange of data and ideas. There will be, by their nature, a commonality in local stakeholders.

With this aim in mind, our teams have collaborated to carry out site audits. Architecture, signage, environmental deterioration, cultural and historic value, resident interactions, social context, and visitor experience were among the aspects we examined. All of this data was vital to our city-wide steering group's meeting and will be used to create a large portion of our urban tourism plan for Phnom Penh, to be completed by the end of 2022.

The steering group comprised of over 60 stakeholders from the local ecosystem, including representatives of the local communities, major Cambodian ministries and public institutions, real estate investors and developers, hospitality professionals of all sizes, as well as tour boats and travel agencies, for an afternoon of brainstorming to create new concept ideas for the improvement of these two Phnom Penh Sangkats. Other steps are forthcoming, such as the structure and the content of the map and the final report. 

Trove and Confluences teams during a site audit
Participants lors de l'inscription du comité de pilotage

Make the nation's capital Phnom Penh a top urban heritage destination in SEA

September 30, 2022
Summary
Puthivoleak Heng - Confluences Access during the steering group committee

The Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia has partnered with ourselves and New York-based tourism development company Trove Tourism Development Advisors to develop a Sangkat-Level urban tourism plan, focused on the Phsar Kandal Ti Muoy/Riverside and Wat Phnom/La Poste areas of Phnom Penh. This project is directly funded by and in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and is a part of the Tourism Commercial Capacity Building Program. The project was launched with great optimism by the Ministry of Tourism and private sector stakeholders in May 2022, with the goal of developing the final urban tourism plan that can be applicable to a wider Cambodian context by the end of this calendar year. 

The objective of this activity is to create a Sangkat Level Model Urban Tourism Plan to support the sustainable local economic development of the proposed areas and to enable the local community to benefit from the natural and cultural heritage. The plan will deliver an international model for heritage tourism development and preservation adapted to the Cambodian context. The team’s ultimate goal is to create these Sangkats as premier sustainable urban heritage tourism destinations.

Although this plan will provide a framework to enhance the quality of the tourism potential of the target area in a structured manner, it will also provide a replicable model for localised urban tourism planning in other cities and towns in Cambodia. 

This project brings renewed optimism that tourism across Cambodia can develop while still protecting heritage sites across the Kingdom. “This specific project not only focuses on Phnom Penh but also aims to develop a standard process that the Ministry of Tourism and related tourism development stakeholders can use to develop tourism destinations out of urban heritage locations in the future,” expressed Soreasmey Ke Bin, CEO of Confluences.

The cultural heritage of many areas of Phnom Penh have for a long time been a topic of concern and discussion. Private and public sector actors have worked to establish a balance between preserving heritage buildings as well as developing tourism growth in Phnom Penh. The cultural heritage of historic cities in emerging economies is constantly under threat through development. It is however recognised that these resources in urban areas are a key driver for tourism. 

“Urban heritage sites have the propensity to drive immense growth in tourism visitors, repeat visitors, and tourism GDP. However, it is important to balance these aims with a continued focus on preserving these sites, respecting the local residents and businesses, and working within the existing culture,” said Danny Cohanpour, CEO of Trove Tourism Development Advisors. “We’ve seen time and time again in destinations around the world, that when this balance is met, the destination’s tourism industry is benefited.”

Across the world the cities that have capitalised on these, and combined preservation with sustainable development, have seen major economic benefits in their tourism potential. Having an attractive, accessible, and safe historic heart to a city increases its attractiveness not just to leisure tourists, but also for business travel and MICE travelers. It is as important for domestic tourism as it is for international tourism. 

The Phsar Kandal Ti Muoy/Riverside and Wat Phnom/La Poste area was a tourism hotspot prior to the impacts of COVID-19 and these Sangkats are widely recognised by both the tourism sector and those concerned with protecting Phnom Penh’s heritage as priorities for development. The proposed activity has the support of the private sector which recognises the importance of improving tourism options in Phnom Penh. 

A parallel activity will be the creation of a SMART digital tourism output to support enhancing visitor experiences in the target (and wider) areas. It is expected that both activities will engage with each other to ensure mutual exchange of data and ideas. There will be, by their nature, a commonality in local stakeholders.

With this aim in mind, our teams have collaborated to carry out site audits. Architecture, signage, environmental deterioration, cultural and historic value, resident interactions, social context, and visitor experience were among the aspects we examined. All of this data was vital to our city-wide steering group's meeting and will be used to create a large portion of our urban tourism plan for Phnom Penh, to be completed by the end of 2022.

The steering group comprised of over 60 stakeholders from the local ecosystem, including representatives of the local communities, major Cambodian ministries and public institutions, real estate investors and developers, hospitality professionals of all sizes, as well as tour boats and travel agencies, for an afternoon of brainstorming to create new concept ideas for the improvement of these two Phnom Penh Sangkats. Other steps are forthcoming, such as the structure and the content of the map and the final report. 

Trove and Confluences teams during a site audit
Participants lors de l'inscription du comité de pilotage

Make the nation's capital Phnom Penh a top urban heritage destination in SEA

September 30, 2022
Puthivoleak Heng - Confluences Access during the steering group committee

The Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia has partnered with ourselves and New York-based tourism development company Trove Tourism Development Advisors to develop a Sangkat-Level urban tourism plan, focused on the Phsar Kandal Ti Muoy/Riverside and Wat Phnom/La Poste areas of Phnom Penh. This project is directly funded by and in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and is a part of the Tourism Commercial Capacity Building Program. The project was launched with great optimism by the Ministry of Tourism and private sector stakeholders in May 2022, with the goal of developing the final urban tourism plan that can be applicable to a wider Cambodian context by the end of this calendar year. 

The objective of this activity is to create a Sangkat Level Model Urban Tourism Plan to support the sustainable local economic development of the proposed areas and to enable the local community to benefit from the natural and cultural heritage. The plan will deliver an international model for heritage tourism development and preservation adapted to the Cambodian context. The team’s ultimate goal is to create these Sangkats as premier sustainable urban heritage tourism destinations.

Although this plan will provide a framework to enhance the quality of the tourism potential of the target area in a structured manner, it will also provide a replicable model for localised urban tourism planning in other cities and towns in Cambodia. 

This project brings renewed optimism that tourism across Cambodia can develop while still protecting heritage sites across the Kingdom. “This specific project not only focuses on Phnom Penh but also aims to develop a standard process that the Ministry of Tourism and related tourism development stakeholders can use to develop tourism destinations out of urban heritage locations in the future,” expressed Soreasmey Ke Bin, CEO of Confluences.

The cultural heritage of many areas of Phnom Penh have for a long time been a topic of concern and discussion. Private and public sector actors have worked to establish a balance between preserving heritage buildings as well as developing tourism growth in Phnom Penh. The cultural heritage of historic cities in emerging economies is constantly under threat through development. It is however recognised that these resources in urban areas are a key driver for tourism. 

“Urban heritage sites have the propensity to drive immense growth in tourism visitors, repeat visitors, and tourism GDP. However, it is important to balance these aims with a continued focus on preserving these sites, respecting the local residents and businesses, and working within the existing culture,” said Danny Cohanpour, CEO of Trove Tourism Development Advisors. “We’ve seen time and time again in destinations around the world, that when this balance is met, the destination’s tourism industry is benefited.”

Across the world the cities that have capitalised on these, and combined preservation with sustainable development, have seen major economic benefits in their tourism potential. Having an attractive, accessible, and safe historic heart to a city increases its attractiveness not just to leisure tourists, but also for business travel and MICE travelers. It is as important for domestic tourism as it is for international tourism. 

The Phsar Kandal Ti Muoy/Riverside and Wat Phnom/La Poste area was a tourism hotspot prior to the impacts of COVID-19 and these Sangkats are widely recognised by both the tourism sector and those concerned with protecting Phnom Penh’s heritage as priorities for development. The proposed activity has the support of the private sector which recognises the importance of improving tourism options in Phnom Penh. 

A parallel activity will be the creation of a SMART digital tourism output to support enhancing visitor experiences in the target (and wider) areas. It is expected that both activities will engage with each other to ensure mutual exchange of data and ideas. There will be, by their nature, a commonality in local stakeholders.

With this aim in mind, our teams have collaborated to carry out site audits. Architecture, signage, environmental deterioration, cultural and historic value, resident interactions, social context, and visitor experience were among the aspects we examined. All of this data was vital to our city-wide steering group's meeting and will be used to create a large portion of our urban tourism plan for Phnom Penh, to be completed by the end of 2022.

The steering group comprised of over 60 stakeholders from the local ecosystem, including representatives of the local communities, major Cambodian ministries and public institutions, real estate investors and developers, hospitality professionals of all sizes, as well as tour boats and travel agencies, for an afternoon of brainstorming to create new concept ideas for the improvement of these two Phnom Penh Sangkats. Other steps are forthcoming, such as the structure and the content of the map and the final report. 

Trove and Confluences teams during a site audit
Participants lors de l'inscription du comité de pilotage

Make the nation's capital Phnom Penh a top urban heritage destination in SEA

September 30, 2022
Summary
Puthivoleak Heng - Confluences Access during the steering group committee

The Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia has partnered with ourselves and New York-based tourism development company Trove Tourism Development Advisors to develop a Sangkat-Level urban tourism plan, focused on the Phsar Kandal Ti Muoy/Riverside and Wat Phnom/La Poste areas of Phnom Penh. This project is directly funded by and in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and is a part of the Tourism Commercial Capacity Building Program. The project was launched with great optimism by the Ministry of Tourism and private sector stakeholders in May 2022, with the goal of developing the final urban tourism plan that can be applicable to a wider Cambodian context by the end of this calendar year. 

The objective of this activity is to create a Sangkat Level Model Urban Tourism Plan to support the sustainable local economic development of the proposed areas and to enable the local community to benefit from the natural and cultural heritage. The plan will deliver an international model for heritage tourism development and preservation adapted to the Cambodian context. The team’s ultimate goal is to create these Sangkats as premier sustainable urban heritage tourism destinations.

Although this plan will provide a framework to enhance the quality of the tourism potential of the target area in a structured manner, it will also provide a replicable model for localised urban tourism planning in other cities and towns in Cambodia. 

This project brings renewed optimism that tourism across Cambodia can develop while still protecting heritage sites across the Kingdom. “This specific project not only focuses on Phnom Penh but also aims to develop a standard process that the Ministry of Tourism and related tourism development stakeholders can use to develop tourism destinations out of urban heritage locations in the future,” expressed Soreasmey Ke Bin, CEO of Confluences.

The cultural heritage of many areas of Phnom Penh have for a long time been a topic of concern and discussion. Private and public sector actors have worked to establish a balance between preserving heritage buildings as well as developing tourism growth in Phnom Penh. The cultural heritage of historic cities in emerging economies is constantly under threat through development. It is however recognised that these resources in urban areas are a key driver for tourism. 

“Urban heritage sites have the propensity to drive immense growth in tourism visitors, repeat visitors, and tourism GDP. However, it is important to balance these aims with a continued focus on preserving these sites, respecting the local residents and businesses, and working within the existing culture,” said Danny Cohanpour, CEO of Trove Tourism Development Advisors. “We’ve seen time and time again in destinations around the world, that when this balance is met, the destination’s tourism industry is benefited.”

Across the world the cities that have capitalised on these, and combined preservation with sustainable development, have seen major economic benefits in their tourism potential. Having an attractive, accessible, and safe historic heart to a city increases its attractiveness not just to leisure tourists, but also for business travel and MICE travelers. It is as important for domestic tourism as it is for international tourism. 

The Phsar Kandal Ti Muoy/Riverside and Wat Phnom/La Poste area was a tourism hotspot prior to the impacts of COVID-19 and these Sangkats are widely recognised by both the tourism sector and those concerned with protecting Phnom Penh’s heritage as priorities for development. The proposed activity has the support of the private sector which recognises the importance of improving tourism options in Phnom Penh. 

A parallel activity will be the creation of a SMART digital tourism output to support enhancing visitor experiences in the target (and wider) areas. It is expected that both activities will engage with each other to ensure mutual exchange of data and ideas. There will be, by their nature, a commonality in local stakeholders.

With this aim in mind, our teams have collaborated to carry out site audits. Architecture, signage, environmental deterioration, cultural and historic value, resident interactions, social context, and visitor experience were among the aspects we examined. All of this data was vital to our city-wide steering group's meeting and will be used to create a large portion of our urban tourism plan for Phnom Penh, to be completed by the end of 2022.

The steering group comprised of over 60 stakeholders from the local ecosystem, including representatives of the local communities, major Cambodian ministries and public institutions, real estate investors and developers, hospitality professionals of all sizes, as well as tour boats and travel agencies, for an afternoon of brainstorming to create new concept ideas for the improvement of these two Phnom Penh Sangkats. Other steps are forthcoming, such as the structure and the content of the map and the final report. 

Trove and Confluences teams during a site audit
Participants lors de l'inscription du comité de pilotage
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