Cultural Heritage Assets for Inclusive Economic Development Archives

Cultural Heritage Assets for Inclusive Economic Development

Boosting Inclusive Ecotourism Investment in Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains

Last Updated On: February 28, 2023/Originally Published On: November 11, 2022/by Emerging360/0 Comments
in Cultural Heritage Assets for Inclusive Economic Development, Human-Centered Design, Inclusive Tourism in Southeast Asia, Tourism Sector Development, Women's Entrepreneurship /

The Kingdom of Cambodia is endowed with tremendous natural capital assets. In addition to their importance for climate mitigation, these rich and diverse natural resources and related environmental services have been key drivers of the country’s economic growth. At the same time, (1) these assets are at risk of serious degradation due to unmanaged development, (2) economic benefits are not accruing equitably to local communities, and (3) the relationship between these assets and business development (dependencies) is not well understood.

A significant proportion of this natural capital is found in protected areas in the Cardamom Mountains, home to a diverse rural population. There is a major untapped opportunity to make these protected areas accessible to a growing local and global market for ecotourism experiences and attractions through inclusive ecotourism investment in Cambodia. If planned and implemented well, ecotourism will contribute to the long-term sustainability of these natural assets and the wellbeing of protected area residents and gateway communities. Ecotourism is also ideally situated to help drive Cambodia’s post-pandemic tourism recovery, as global trends indicate many tourists are more likely to be attracted to uncrowded and natural areas.

Employing a Human-Centered Design approach, Emerging360 in collaboration with Solimar International supported the Cambodian Ministry of Environment within the “Cambodia Sustainable Landscape & Ecotourism Project (CSLEP)” to formulate a five-year Regional Ecotourism Development Plan for the Cardamom Mountains (2022 – 2027). As part of the year-long assignment, Emerging360 developed robust visions for three priority ecotourism destinations in order to stimulate private sector investment, and we designed US$33 million worth of public sector infrastructure development investment recommendations, to be implemented through World Bank financing. Read more

Value Chain Strategy: Inclusive Economic Growth on the Buddhist Circuit

Last Updated On: March 4, 2020/Originally Published On: September 5, 2017/by Emerging360/0 Comments
in Cultural Heritage Assets for Inclusive Economic Development, Gender and Economic Development, Human-Centered Design, MSME Development, Tourism Sector Development, Value Chains, Women's Entrepreneurship /

Inclusive Economic Growth and the Buddhist Circuit

The World Bank has selected Emerging360 to develop a strategy for facilitating inclusive economic growth and women’s participation in the tourism sector along the Buddhist Circuit in India, and South Asia more broadly.

South Asia’s remarkable heritage, as a source of livelihood and identity, represents a previously untapped engine of inclusive economic development and job creation. Investing in tourism in general, and Buddhist heritage tourism in particular, provides a unique opportunity to unlock the region’s heritage assets for the development of some of the poorest communities, who reside in and around the sites.

As part of the broader World Bank support to selected South Asian governments in inclusive tourism development along the region’s Buddhist Circuit, Emerging360 is researching constraints to women’s participation in key locations along the circuit. We’ll ultimately be developing a suite of actionable recommendations for improved and inclusive economic development across the region, with a focus on opportunities for women, youth, and the poor.