In light of the current COVID-19 situation we regret to inform you we will be temporarily suspending all tour activities (longer educational programs and day tours). The well-being of our guests, team, and community partners is always our top priority, and with this in mind we shall not be offering tours until (currently) 1st July 2020.
Our responsibility
- Guests – Travel restrictions are now facing most parts of the globe and new regulations come into play daily (you can see current updates of Cambodia’s situation on our blog here). In order to safeguard you from a challenging travel experience, we feel it is best to advise you visit Cambodia at another time. In the meantime we hope you remain safe and healthy at home, use this opportunity to connect with nature and your loved ones, and we’ll happily welcome you later.
- Team – We are deeply committed to ensuring this difficult time in our industry does not result in reduced salaries or redundancies for our staff. Our office team are currently practising social distancing – including working from home, rotating the use of the office, or taking some annual leave during this unexpected quiet spell. All contracted freelancers have also been paid a compensation for their loss of earnings during this period. If you need to reach our office team, we’re still here online and ready to virtually meet you!
- Community – We understand that the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions are most at risk. Many of our study tours include time immersing overseas students in rural communities, sleeping in homestays, and engaging with community elders. Following recommendations from the WHO we are currently restricting travel to and within remote / vulnerable communities. All communities that were scheduled to host groups during this period have been financially compensated. Similar individuals are key storytellers on our day experiences, and as a result we shall also press pause on our Learn from Locals tours in Siem Reap at this time.
If you’re interested in understanding more about our rationale to suspend tours at this time, you may find this Skift article thought-provoking.
Looking forward
We’re feeling optimistic and hopeful global tourism will bounce back. We have numerous exciting study tours in our calendar for later in the year, and assuming travel bans will be lifted, we are excited to host groups in several months time. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and update our guests accordingly.
We found this article particularly uplifting at this challenging time! Though times are tough, we encourage you to reflect how this unique situation is expanding global consciousness of individuals, allowing us to reflect on humans’ place on the planet, and forcing us to become more resilient and make more sustainable choices.
Stay safe, positive, and see you on the other side!
