By Or Channy | Project leader
1- Summary
Le Tonle training guesthouse and restaurant is a social enterprise project of the Cambodian Rural Development Team (CRDT), a non-profit NGO in Cambodia. Le Tonle Training Guesthouse and Restaurant aims to provide free theoretical and practical training to young disadvantaged Cambodians in the area of tourism and hospitality such as front office, housekeeping, cooking and hospitality. By providing these skills in the short term, vulnerable youths are able to obtain varied and worthwhile careers and are able to live by themselves independently and support their family by sending some of their earnings back home. In the long term, the training is providing an opportunity for youth to develop themselves further in tourism professions and giving them general knowledge, which will enable them to take careers as one of the country's human resources. This will help solve the human development program of Cambodia and lift the poverty rate in the future. According to the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) from 2018, thirty-five percent of Cambodians are living in poverty, especially in the countryside.
2- About Le Tonle
Le Tonle provides 100% scholarship for youth to learn from certified trainers and practice at the same time at Le Tonle guesthouse and restaurant.
Le Tonle is a social enterprise aims to:
To contribute to poverty reduction and ecological conservation of Cambodia by introducing responsible, sustainable tourism and by training the local population to cater to tourists.
To give theoretical and practical training to young disadvantaged Cambodians in the different areas of tourism professions to enable them to obtain varied and worthwhile careers.
To provide quality training in response to the requirements of tourism professionals in Cambodia.
To integrate the values of responsible tourism in the training.
3- Our 8-month training program
The Tonle training program is recognized by the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia under the National Committees of Tourism Professional as a vocational certificate. Trainees are trained by our experienced trainers, many of whom were our graduates from 2008. Most of the training periods are focused on practicing and interacting with the tourism industry by supporting trainees to develop generic competencies such as computer skills and English proficiency.
4- Progress reportOperations:
The operation of Le Tonle has experienced fluctuations in performance attributed to the low recovery of international tourist arrivals to Kratie Town and Cambodia as a whole. The international recovery stands at 30% compared to pre-pandemic levels, while the local government recovery is slightly higher at 40%. In response to this challenging environment, the management of Le Tonle has strategically focused on sustainability and income generation to support training and operational improvements.
Management Initiatives:
Over the last three months, a comprehensive approach has been taken to enhance the operation of Le Tonle. The new manager has improved our online presence with booking agencies and social media. The website has been completely redeveloped. A short-term international volunteer led the development of a marketing plan, and redesign of the menu. A long-term international volunteer has joined. She has experience in hospitality training, and will be working on many aspects of staff development and product development.
Performance Metrics:
Despite these efforts, the guesthouse and restaurant operations have faced challenges. The occupancy rate has averaged 85% over the past three months, attracting both international and domestic visitors. The new marketing tools have only recently been deployed, and we have not yet seen an increase in restaurant customers. We are now entering the low season, and do not expect to see increases until the start of the high season in November.
Training Initiatives:
The Provincial Department of Tourism selected Le Tonle as the venue for a three-day training program for chefs from ten local restaurants. Chefs received a recipe book with 42 dishes, and practiced making a variety of soups, main courses and desserts. Le Tonle will select a small number of these dishes to expand the menu.
We have undertaken continued training for staff, including guest interactions, booking management, and operations of a new electronic point-of-sale service.
Challenges:
Le Tonle faces several challenges, especially low attendance at the restaurant and delayed refurbishment of rooms.
Overcoming Challenges:
To address these challenges, an international volunteer in marketing developed new online materials for social media, and improved our menu design. The new designs are now visible on social media and the website.
We have built a raised lounge-style dining area. The lounge has comfortable seating, and uses traditional Khmer clay water storage vessels with glass tops as the tables. This makes the restaurant more welcoming.
Links:
Links:
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