Journey Cambodia is a locally owned tour operator based in Siem Reap that helps travelers experience Cambodia beyond its best-known landmarks. Alongside visits to Angkor Wat and other heritage sites, its itineraries connect guests with countryside communities, local food, farms, and everyday Cambodian life.
The company was an early adopter of online tour distribution in Cambodia and has since built a strong digital presence around direct reservations, online payments, and customer reviews. Today, Journey Cambodia offers everything from day tours and private trips to longer itineraries across Cambodia, while also developing regional travel experiences that connect Cambodia with neighboring destinations.
Its growth has been shaped by a simple idea: travelers increasingly want more than sightseeing. They want to understand the places they visit through the people, landscapes, and traditions that give them meaning.
The Journey Cambodia Origin Story
Journey Cambodia was founded in 2016 by Boret “Bo” Ream, alongside his wife, Nguon Seky, after nearly a decade of experience working in Cambodia’s tourism industry. Before starting the company, Boret worked with international travel businesses and saw both the potential of Cambodia’s tourism sector and the opportunity to create more work for talented local guides, drivers, and hospitality professionals.
From the beginning, Journey Cambodia leaned into digital distribution. At a time when relatively few Cambodian tour operators were selling experiences through major online platforms, the company began using those channels to reach travelers and build a strong base of customer reviews.
When COVID-19 brought tourism to a halt, the team used the disruption to rethink how the business could grow. Journey Cambodia invested in its own website, improved its reservation and payment systems, and began shifting more bookings toward direct sales. It also expanded beyond Siem Reap to offer longer trips across Cambodia.
Today, Journey Cambodia continues to broaden the journeys it can offer, combining its knowledge of Cambodia with a growing network of regional tourism partners.
How Journey Cambodia Is Making A Positive Impact
Journey Cambodia has deliberately expanded its tours beyond Cambodia’s traditional temple circuit. Its itineraries connect travelers with villages, local food, farms, and rural communities, creating more opportunities for local guides, drivers, suppliers, and communities to participate in tourism. The company currently works with seven office staff, more than 20 professional guides, and more than 10 full-time drivers.
That approach is particularly visible through Baitang Siem Reap, Journey Cambodia’s agritourism project in the countryside outside the city. The project brings travelers into a rural setting of rice fields and local farms, with activities including dining and cooking experiences. It also incorporates and preserves traditional Khmer wooden houses as part of the site while creating additional opportunities for local employment.
Journey Cambodia has also built responsible practices into the way it operates. The company uses refillable water bottles, works with local communities and suppliers, and designs experiences that connect travelers with Cambodian culture and rural life in ways that create local economic opportunities.
That same approach carries into Baitang Siem Reap, where the company is creating new roles and experiences around local food, cooking, agriculture, and hospitality. As the project grows, it is intended to create additional local jobs while giving travelers more ways to engage with the people, landscapes, and traditions of rural Cambodia.
Why the UnTours Foundation Invested in Journey Cambodia
The UnTours Foundation invested in Journey Cambodia through the Reset Tourism Fund, in partnership with TUI Care Foundation, because the company combines strong local ownership with a clear commitment to creating tourism experiences that connect travelers more meaningfully with Cambodian communities.
Journey Cambodia has shown an ability to evolve with changing traveler interests. Its growth from short Siem Reap tours into longer Cambodia itineraries and community-connected experiences has created new ways for visitors to spend more time exploring the country while supporting locally rooted tourism.
Our investment supports Journey Cambodia as it strengthens its team, marketing, partnerships, and regional offering. It also supports the continued development of Baitang Siem Reap, where tourism is creating local employment and giving travelers another way to experience rural Cambodian life, traditional architecture, and the landscapes surrounding Siem Reap.
Journey Cambodia also participated in TUI Care Foundation’s T89 Investment Readiness program and received second prize in the Growth Venture category at the TUI Futureshapers Cambodia Demo Day. Together with TUI Care Foundation, we are supporting a Cambodian tourism business as it grows while keeping local communities and meaningful cultural experiences at the center of its work.
How You Can Support Journey Cambodia
If you are traveling to Cambodia, consider exploring the country with Journey Cambodia. Its experiences range from Angkor temple tours and countryside excursions to multi-day journeys that connect travelers with food, farms, villages, and destinations across the country.
Travelers looking for a slower and more community-connected experience can also visit Baitang Siem Reap for countryside activities, local meals, and time among the rice fields outside the city.
