Travelling responsibly here

Tourism is one of the largest employers in Cambodia and the money genuinely reaches households. But a handful of well-known practices here are harmful precisely because they are marketed to kind people, and avoiding them costs you nothing.

Orphanage visits

Do not visit, volunteer at, or donate to a residential orphanage that welcomes tourists. Research by UNICEF and the Cambodian government has established that the great majority of children in these institutions have at least one living parent, and that the tourist money is what keeps them separated from their families. A dance performance by children at an orphanage is a fundraising device, not a cultural show.

If you want to help children here, give to organisations that work on family reunification, community schooling and vocational training, and that do not offer you access to the children.

Animals

No elephant riding, anywhere, including at Angkor. Genuine sanctuaries let the animals live in forest and let you walk alongside them, and they will say so on their own site. Avoid any attraction offering photographs with a sedated animal, and do not buy anything made from wildlife.

Begging and giving

Do not give money, sweets or pens to children, however hard that is in the moment. It makes begging more profitable than school, and organised begging around tourist sites depends on visitors doing exactly this. Buying from a child selling bracelets has the same effect. If you want to give, give to a local school, a community project or a hospital.

Where your money does the most good

Family-run guesthouses and locally owned hotels rather than foreign chains. Restaurants and social enterprises that train young Cambodians in hospitality. Licensed local guides. Artisan cooperatives where you can see the workshop. And booking direct where you can, so the commission stays in the country rather than leaving it.

Plastic and water

Waste collection is limited outside the cities and non-existent on some islands, so what you buy in plastic mostly stays here. Carry a refillable bottle: most hotels, and a growing network of cafés and shops, will refill it free or for a token amount. Refuse the straw, and take your rubbish off the islands with you if you can.

At the memorials

Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek are places where people were murdered, within living memory, and many visitors are Cambodian families. Dress as you would for a funeral, keep your voice down, do not take smiling photographs of yourself, and follow the posted rules about where photography is permitted at all.

Common questions