Stemming from a passion for tourism and an interest in adventure, five students have come together to form a team to produce of community tourism videos. Their determination to overcome obstacles has led them to victory in an ecotourism promotional video competition.
Summit of the mountain of Life is the title of the video which won the first place in the Entrepreneurship Tourism Video Contest. Through this short film, the students show the story of a man who lives and works in Phnom Penh and is under a lot of pressure from work. Hiking in the mountains was the protagonist’s passion, but everything changes when he reaches the top of a mountain and sees the beautiful scenery of nature.
Accompanied by a detailed narrative, the video introduces viewers to the rich community life, from subsistence farming to daily life. The story also captures the unique friendliness of the people of the community, creating a cozy scene for the audience.
The work is the brainchild of five tourism students at the National University of Management. According to a member of the group, it was not easy to come up with this work. The team had to deal with traveling, planning and writing, along with weather issues – all while juggling their busy workloads as students.
“The road to completing the film was difficult. The filming took longer than we planned, and we experienced a few technical difficulties,” said Chhin Long, a member of the group.
He said his team was able to complete the film successfully for one reason: love.
Another member, Lim Sokun Vattanak, stated the motivation behind their efforts: “I hope that all of our work will play a part in helping to promote the tourism community. Hopefully we will encourage Cambodian youth to support local tourism as well.”
He said that throughout their work, they had tried to capture the lively activities of the community and the unique scenery of the countryside.
Group member Neng Sokhom, saw many benefits to the video competition platform.
She said it was a great opportunity to unleash the creative power of the younger generation, and should continue to provide opportunities for others.
Through promotional videos, she expected ecotourism communities to be able to increase their incomes. In particular, she hoped to attract local visitors.
“We also pointed out some shortcomings in travel infrastructure and a lack of electricity. This could be an opportunity for investors in this sector,” she added.
Through both videos, the team hopes to inspire young Cambodian women to have the courage to travel through the mountains, as this would provide additional income to local communities, while also contributing to the preservation of natural resources.
The entrepreneurial video competition was organised by the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Khmer Enterprise. The locations featured include the Teuk Chub Khnar Po, Changkarn Roiy, O'Choam waterfall, and Sre Ampil waterfall tourism communities.
