Introduction:

Taking a vacation to a third world country is one of the biggest ‘trends’ in tourism today. Consider, for example, the tourism boom in Cambodia; for many the epitome of poverty, strife and corruption. By 2007, the number of annual visitors to Cambodia will have increased by 1,200% in just 10 years. Such interest generates the benefits of employment, income and foreign capital investment. More importantly, perhaps more importantly in an increasingly factional world, such international travel introduces and educates one people about the culture and attitudes of another. Unfortunately, the benefits of international tourism are only trickling down so far. Despite all this activity, the “poor end of town” around the world still looks business as usual.

An interview between Andrew Booth, co-founder of Sage Insights Cambodia, and Nola Hersey, a freelance journalist from Australia

– So, of all the problems in the world, why choose this one?

It seems to me that this problem of extreme poverty in countries that attract mass tourism is largely overlooked and solvable. Open a magazine like TIME. Read a serious newspaper. Watch the news on television. We often see scenes of distressed and hungry people living in dry and unattractive lands: lands with few natural resources and little that the world values. Equally worrying, though perhaps more inexcusable, is the poverty in such attractive land; so rich in history, culture and natural beauty, that they attract millions of people from half the world to vacation. These places have valuable assets. Assets owned by all who call the earth home. However, a large part of society completely misses out on the benefits these assets can bring.

– But surely international tourism to the third world brings benefits?

Sure! Huge benefits. But my question is “Who benefits?” or more pertinently, “Who doesn’t benefit?” Anything of value that attracts international interest to such country, assets; the ‘family silver’ of the country; It is not owned by investors in tourist hotels. It is also not the property of travel agencies, souvenir makers, tour guides, or even the government of the day. It belongs to each and every person who calls the country “home” and everyone who ever will.

Of course, the big idea is for governments to manage assets on behalf of everyone. Through the taxes levied on the tourism industry and the increase in economic activity, they redistribute part of the income; the ‘entry receipts to the event’, to its citizens. Unfortunately, a common trait of third world countries is the lack of an accountable and transparent bureaucracy. The result: the weakest in society, the ‘voiceless’ do not benefit from international tourism attracted by their assets, their heritage.

– Are you suggesting that hotels should not benefit from tourists in poor countries?

They must profit. Local and international investors in tourism infrastructure; hotel groups and travel companies make a huge profit from exploiting another country’s assets, and so they should! These investors are motivated by financial performance. They are in the business of risking their investors’ capital to develop such opportunities. I also recognize that local economies get a big boost from such investment. Many jobs are created for the local population through international tourism. New hotels need builders, cleaners, gardeners, guards, cooks, and employees.

– So where is the problem?

My point is not that local people don’t benefit. Rather it is that ALL citizens of a country should benefit from an international interest in their common heritage. There remains a large group of people, especially in third world countries, who are completely deprived of the benefits derived from the wealth of their own heritage.

Try to imagine a country that practically overnight lost its entire professional class. How quickly would your own country recover from the elimination of virtually all lawyers, law enforcement personnel, bureaucrats, central and local politicians? You laugh. It’s easy to joke that there would be a huge improvement, but the truth is that without the ‘rule of law’, the law of the jungle quickly sets in. Loot gravitates to the strong and knowledgeable, some distributed to the useful and none to the weak.

– For example?

Cambodia has had its fair share of troubles from which it is bravely recovering. The horrors of Khmer Rouge rule in the 1970s deprived the country of its entire professional class. A country does not recover from this overnight. Meanwhile, there is an opportunity for some. As a recent USAID assessment of corruption in Cambodia noted, “The unfortunate reality is that corruption has become a part of everyday life in Cambodia, indeed reaching ‘pandemic’ proportions.” The law of the jungle has come home and, despite government efforts, it is a difficult pattern to break. When the consensus is that everyone is ‘on the take’, the system becomes self-sufficient.

So all of a sudden we have a boom in tourism that the neediest in society are unlikely to benefit from at all. It’s actually worse than that. Booms in activity bring inflation. International travelers in third world countries deplete precious resources and drive up the prices of local staples. The fresh fish that used to be affordable in the market suddenly disappears on the way to fulfill the contract with the new hotel.

– Do you see any way to return some benefits to everyone?

In Cambodia I helped found a company called Sage Insights. Sage benefits from international tourist interest in Cambodia and supports the neediest children in society. We are giving the neediest children in Cambodia a stake in their own heritage. Not only in the sense of the benefits of a property, but also of a curiosity and motivation to preserve your heritage.

– And your investors: How do they obtain profitability?

There are no investors. All profits from Sage Insights go to house, feed and educate street children, orphans and those from families so poor they have no chance. Local employees benefit, of course, from a decent and stable income. As full-time employees in quieter periods, they are encouraged to research and learn more about their country and heritage to enable ever-improving and responsive service.

It is not a commitment to ethical tourism in the face of great service for tourists; experience the best of Cambodia with a trustworthy and considerate local guide. All services are tailor-made and there is a personal travel assistant 24/7 to help with all matters in a sometimes confusing and difficult country. Even quality hotels and international travel agencies benefit; they have a partner they can trust to take care of their clients in Cambodia; a partner who goes to great lengths to encourage visitors to return.

– To summarize, what are your expectations for the project?

I hope that as the project grows in scale and profile, our competitors will find themselves adopting our standards and ethics. Over time, the disenfranchised will reconnect with the value of their own heritage.