Adapting to the Pandemic: Introducing Skual Battambang
Due to the global pandemic, many tour operators across the globe are facing a financial crisis. They are losing tour bookings and operations, and their enterprises need to reduce expenses. Some tour operators have had to make reductions in staff, while millions of people working in the tourism industry have lost their jobs. Amidst this uncertainty, some tour operators have decided to close operations long-term, while others are trying to operate creatively and build a more robust model of local travel.
Nowadays, Soksabike is also facing the uncertainty of the pandemic, but we are trying to survive with our creative team. Even though we decided to suspend our operations for a period of time in 2020, we reopened our office again at the end of 2020 and tried to target local travelers. We decided to create a new project under the Soksabike brand: Skual Battambang. This project is another bicycle tour initiative specifically targeted at local travelers.
While the broader global situation remains challenging, Skual Battambang has become another tool for Soksabike to navigate these uncertain times and spread our mission's impact to the local community. This project also makes Soksabike more reliable and sustainable on our journey as a Social Enterprise Tour Operator.
Our goal is to empower Skual Battambang to promote responsible tourism in the local travel industry and encourage domestic travelers to embrace meaningful, experiential travel while contributing to community development. Joining Skual Battambang’s tours allows travelers to gain a deeper understanding of Battambang’s history, livelihoods, and unique character, while learning about the impact of travel on communities and the environment.
Why Do We Create Skual Battambang?
At the beginning of 2021, we engaged in discussions to ensure that Soksabike would remain a healthy and resilient business during and after the global pandemic. Ultimately, we decided to start a Soksabike project called Skual Battambang.
Even though it is a difficult time, we see this as an investment opportunity in the domestic travel market. As international travel paused, more and more people began traveling within the country, especially young people. We believe that even when everything returns to normal, domestic travel will remain a vital target market and opportunity for tour operators in Cambodia.
This new project runs under the spirit of Soksabike. We place Soksabike’s core values at the center of all new projects and activities to ensure we stay true to our objectives: supporting the community through engaging travel experiences while ensuring our products remain sustainable and responsible.
Skual Battambang is:
- A responsible bicycle tour that practices responsible tourism and promotes authentic, engaging experiences for domestic travelers.
- A tool using tourism to promote personal growth for our customers.
- A tour operator that cares about the environment and community support by following Soksabike’s impact model for domestic travel.
Investing in both international and domestic travel markets will make Soksabike more resilient on our social enterprise journey. You can read more about Skual Battambang by clicking here.
