 | |
| Industry | Travel |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founder | Andrew Booth |
| Headquarters | Siem Reap, Cambodia |
| Website | http://www.aboutasiatravel.com |
ABOUTAsia Travel is a bespoke travel company specializing in responsible, sustainable travel throughout Cambodia and Southeast Asia, [1] [2] with its head offices in Siem Reap, Cambodia. [3] The company was formed in 2008 by former international investment banker Andy Booth as a model of sustainable, responsible tourism in a developing country. [2]
On a family trip to Cambodia in 2003, Andy Booth learned that the majority of tour agencies operating in the country were based overseas, with only one in six tourist dollars spent in Cambodia remaining in-country [4] and little economic benefit reaching the Khmer people. [5] Convinced that tourism could be done in a sustainable fashion, Booth moved to Siem Reap, Cambodia in 2007 to develop a sustainable travel company with a philanthropic bent, in which the profits were donated to support rural public schools through partner non-profit, ABOUTAsia Schools; with the Cambodian government spending less than US$3 per student per year, ABOUTAsia Schools supplies "books, computers and other materials." [2] In 2013, the foundation was supporting 108 Cambodian schools and over 53,000 students. [6]
Much has been written with regards to ABOUTAsia's 'crowd avoidance' research around the Angkor temples. The company routes its tours of Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples with proprietary research garnered with surveillance walks, footfall counts, and "surveys of pedestrian traffic patterns" to graph the number of visitors and keep travelers away from bus tours. [2] [7] [8] According to Merope Mills of The Guardian, with over 2.5 million visitors to Cambodia every year ABOUTAsia's research is increasingly important for both conservation and visitor experience. [9]
In 2014 ABOUTAsia released a new field guide to the Angkor temples, The Angkor Guidebook, written by ABOUTAsia CEO Andrew Booth. [10] [11] [12] A team of historians was assembled by Booth in 2011, who together set out to answer the question of what the Angkor temples would have looked like in their prime. [13] The book features innovative transparent overlays created by French artist Bruno Lévy to offer a travelers an impression of what the temples would have looked like in the 8th-14th centuries, [10] as well as featuring never before-published photographs from the early part of the 20th century from École française d'Extrême-Orient; Booth spent 10 days searching through 25,000 images to display the state of ruin of the temples when they were discovered by Henri Mouhot. [13] The Angkor Guidebook also offers information on ABOUTAsia's crowd avoidance research, including "practical information on how best to see the temples today, including how to escape the crowds." [13]
Angkor, also known as Yasodharapura was the capital city of the Khmer Empire. The city and empire flourished from approximately the 9th to the 15th centuries. The city houses the magnificent Angkor Wat, one of Cambodia's most popular tourist attractions.
Angkor Wat, located in northwest Cambodia, is the largest religious structure in the world by land area, measuring 162.6 hectares. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of four towers surrounding a central spire that rises to a height of 65 m (213 ft) above the ground. The temple has three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. It lies within an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long and a moat more than 5 kilometres (3 mi) long
Angkor Thom, located in present-day Cambodia, was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer Empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by King Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 km², within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north. It is also a very big tourist attraction, and people come from all over the world to see it.
Bakong, or Prasat Bakong is the first temple mountain of sandstone constructed by rulers of the Khmer empire at Angkor near modern Siem Reap in Cambodia. In the final decades of the 9th century AD, it served as the official state temple of King Indravarman I in the ancient city of Hariharalaya, located in an area that today is called Roluos.
Chau Say Tevoda is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia. It is just east of Angkor Thom, directly south of Thommanon across the Victory Way. Built in the mid-12th century, it is a Hindu temple in the Angkor Wat period. It is dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu with unique types of female sculptures of devatas enshrined in it. The Buddha images have been interpreted to have been built during the reign of Dharanindravarman, father of Jayavarman VII, who ruled from Preah Khan of Kompong. The temple was in a dilapidated state with 4,000 of its elements lying scattered on the embankment and in the Siem Reap River. Many of these elements were used in the restoration work carried out by a Chinese team between 2000 and 2009 under a project sponsored by the People's Republic of China. The temple was reopened in late 2009.
Battambang is a province of Cambodia in the far northwest of the country. Bordering provinces are Banteay Meanchey to the north, Pursat to the east and south, Siem Reap to the northeast, and Pailin to the west. The northern and southern extremes of the province's western boundaries form part of the international border with Thailand. In addition, Tonle Sap forms part of the northeastern boundary between Siem Reap and Pursat. Its capital and largest city is Battambang.
Siem Reap, is a province (khaet) of Cambodia. It borders the provinces of Oddar Meanchey to the north, Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom to the east, Battambang to the south, and Banteay Meanchey to the west. Its capital and largest city is Siem Reap.
Henri Mouhot was a French naturalist and explorer of the mid-19th century. He was born in Montbéliard, Doubs, France, near the Swiss border, but spent his childhood in Russia and, possibly, parts of Asia. He died near Naphan, Laos. He is remembered mostly in connection to Angkor. Mouhot's tomb is located just outside of Ban Phanom, to the east of Luang Prabang.
Kbal Spean is an Angkorian era archaeological site on the southwest slopes of the Kulen Hills to the northeast of Angkor in Banteay srei, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. It is situated along a 150m stretch of the Stung Kbal Spean River, 25 kilometres (16 mi) from the main Angkor group of monuments, which lie downstream.
Siem Reap International Airport is an international airport serving Siem Reap, a popular tourist destination due to nearby Angkor Wat. It is the second busiest airport in Cambodia after Phnom Penh International Airport.
Beng Mealea, or Boeng Mealea, is a temple from the Angkor Wat period located 40 km east of the main group of temples at Angkor, Cambodia, on the ancient royal highway to Preah Khan Kompong Svay.
Siem Reap is the second largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia.
Cambodia Angkor Air is the national flag carrier airline of Cambodia, with its corporate headquarters and main hub in Phnom Penh. The company slogan is "Proudly Serve the Kingdom".
The Association of Angkor Youth Orchestra (ANYO) is a Cambodian youth orchestra. Its first performance was at the Angkor Wat temple complex. It is the first establishment for orchestral classical music in Cambodia since the Sangkum Reahniyum Era (1953–1970). The Orchestra is supervised by two musicians: Tep Kuntheareth and Ram Daravong.
Artisans Angkor is a Cambodian social business creating job opportunities for young people in rural areas, while reviving traditional Khmer craftsmanship.
Cambodia and Indonesia established diplomatic relations in 1957. Cambodia has an embassy in Jakarta, while Indonesia has an embassy in Phnom Penh. Since diplomatic relations were established, Indonesia has been a strong supporter of peace and stability in Cambodia. In 1992, Indonesia provided troops for the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia, and supported Cambodian membership to ASEAN in 1999. Cambodia appreciated that Indonesia has consistently helped Cambodia, especially in capacity building. Both nations are members of Non-Aligned Movement and ASEAN.
Tourism in Cambodia is one of the most important sectors in Cambodia's economy. In 2013, tourism arrivals increased by 17.5 percent year on year, with business travelers increasing 47 percent.
Angkor National Museum is an archaeological museum dedicated to the collection, preservation and presentation of Angkorian artifacts, also to provides information and education about art and culture of Khmer civilization, with collections mainly dated from Khmer Empire's Angkor period circa 9th to 14th-century. Most of the artifacts are discovered in and around the Angkor archaeological sites nearby. The museum is located in Vithei Charles de Gaulle No. 968, Siem Reap, Cambodia, on the way between downtown Siem Reap to northern road leading to Angkor ancient city.
Friends Without A Border (Friends) is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that funds medical treatment and healthcare programs serving disadvantaged children and their families in Southeast Asia. Founded in 1996 by photographer Kenro Izu, Friends provides direct financial and program support to Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Lao Friends Hospital for Children in Luang Prabang, Laos, and The Lake Clinic in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor is a historic luxury hotel located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. First opened in 1932, it was established by French town planner Ernest Hébrard to accommodate the early explorers and tourists visiting the world heritage site of Angkor Wat.