Cambodia I love, Siem Reap's gay friendly campaign

Feb. 18 2014

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In 2010, the New York Times wrote that Siem Reap, a Cambodian town near the archaeological site of Angkor, was "a safe haven for gays. The American daily didn't think so. The 40 gay and gay-friendly establishments in Siem Reap have just launched, in association with a local tourism agency, a campaign called "Cambodia, I love" ("Adore Cambodia"). The goal? To promote gay tourism in the country and to let gay customers know that they are welcome in Cambodia, and particularly in Siem Reap.

Prestigious hotels, stores, restaurants, art galleries, but also gay bars, gyms, and saunas have agreed to play the game. "The biggest players in Siem Reap's tourism market are participating in this campaign to better welcome gay customers," says John Goss, director of Utopia-Asia.com, the travel agency that helped launch "Cambodia, I Love".

Cambodia, a gay-friendly destination

Among the establishments involved in this campaign is Men's Resort & Spa, the only establishment of its kind in Cambodia that is exclusively for gay clientele(photo below). "Gay tourists visiting Cambodia primarily for the famous Angkor temples often discovered by chance, once they were there, the presence of this active community in Siem Reap," explains Pierre Bompard, the owner of Men's Resort. "Many times, they said they regretted not having chosen their hotel accordingly. In addition, many low-cost regional flights now serve Siem Reap, allowing tourists transiting through Singapore, Malaysia, or Vietnam to easily organize a week's vacation to discover the mythical temples and thus find gay tourists from around the world. It is from this double observation that "Cambodia, I love" was born.

A few days after the campaign's launch, the results are quite positive. "Although it is still a little early to measure the effects, we are very confident of the success of this campaign," explains Pierre Bompard. "Another positive point was the very encouraging reception of the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism, which, although not associated with this private initiative, seized this opportunity to remind that the country does not practice any discriminatory policy towards gays. Duly noted.