Over 100 Siem Reap tourism operators met on June 15 at a forum on encouraging visitors

to the city to stay longer than the average of two days.

The "Stay Another Day" initiative was organized by the Mekong Private Sector

Development Facility (MPDF), whose objective is to encourage travelers to visit local

NGOs and discover the "real" Cambodia.

"Although hundreds of thousands of tourists visit Siem Reap every year, very

little of the proceeds trickles down to the wider community, and it remains one of

Cambodia's poorest provinces," said MPDF manager Kate Lloyd-Williams.

Vendors at the forum were given a chance to network with local NGOs, who provide

experiences such as eco-tours on Tonle Sap lake and visits to children's centers.