PHNOM PENH: A newly formed association in Kep plans to use its participation in the Francophonie International Village in Phnom Penh to build long-term support for coastal heritage preservation, responsible tourism and vocational training for young people.
Kep-sur-Mer will operate a pavilion at Wat Botum Park from Nov 13 to 17, bringing together local products, an art display and information about the province as Cambodia hosts the 20th Francophonie Summit.
Organisers say the initiative is intended to extend beyond the five-day showcase, creating a platform through which residents, businesses and community organisations can contribute to the province’s development.
According to the association, its work will focus on three areas: promoting responsible tourism, supporting youth education and vocational training and preserving the region’s heritage.
The initiative emerged during preparations for the summit, when a visiting journalist asked longtime Kep resident and Hôtel de la Plage owner Lysiane Salmon outlined what the coastal province had planned for the occasion.
Salmon, who has lived in Kep since 2002 and is known locally as Lili, subsequently joined other tourism and cultural figures to organise the province’s participation.
The founding group includes Alexia Pinon, who works in coastal dining and tourism; Emmanuel Pezard, a guide and co-founder of Kep Autrement; hotel director and heritage researcher Marie Ganachau; and visual artist Vannak Khun, whose series The Spirit of Kep explores the seaside town.
“Their intuition was simple: Kep should not merely be represented by institutional speeches; it had to tell its story, showcase the vitality of its inhabitants, and assert its ambitions,” explained a statement from the group.
Financial backing from a partner enabled the group to secure a pavilion at the International Village. Organisers said subsequent discussions with residents, communities and local stakeholders encouraged them to establish an association that would continue operating after the summit.
Kep-sur-Mer said it had received support from local authorities and provincial governor Som Piseth.
Heritage preservation forms a central part of its proposed work, including collecting residents’ oral histories, documenting modernist architecture and publishing a journal, Les Cahiers de Kep.
These activities would draw on a coastal landscape shaped by successive periods of development, including the seaside villas and buildings associated with the Sangkum Reastr Niyum era of the 1950s and 1960s.
The association’s announcement highlighted the relationship between modern construction techniques, Cambodia’s coastal climate and Khmer architectural approaches as an important part of Kep’s identity.
Pezard is also preparing a collection of short stories about the province, adding a literary dimension to the group’s interest in recording local memory.
Alongside that preservation work, the association intends to promote responsible tourism and support projects that connect the province’s cultural and natural attractions.
It identified a planned 2.4km seaside promenade between the crab market and the mangrove area, development of a rowing club and the proposed conversion of Queen Kossamak’s former royal residence into a provincial museum among projects it supports.
The announcement linked those ambitions to the province’s 2023–2035 tourism master plan.
Education and employment preparation constitute another strand of the initiative. Kep-sur-Mer said it supports the future Kampot-Kep Francophone Centre, scheduled to open in October 2027 under an initiative led by Pierre Lechauguette.
The association also intends to strengthen connections with the Institute of Technology of Cambodia, which has a presence in Kep, and develop training programmes for careers in hospitality, catering and tourism.
Its approach seeks to connect those ambitions with organisations already working in the province.
According to the association, its work will focus on three areas: promoting responsible tourism, supporting youth education and vocational training and preserving the region’s heritage. Supplied
According to the association, its work will focus on three areas: promoting responsible tourism, supporting youth education and vocational training and preserving the region’s heritage. Supplied
The announcement cited the Centre Éducatif de Kep and Kep Children for their support to children and families, alongside environmental initiatives involving marine conservation and mangrove restoration.
These include Marine Conservation Cambodia’s work at Koh Ach Seh, mangrove replanting involving O Krosar communities and the UN Development Programme, and the S.E.A. Ocean Gallery underwater museum.
The association also highlighted the Art for Kep initiative and the involvement of local businesses, including Samanea Resort, as part of its effort to bring cultural, environmental and tourism interests together.
At the Phnom Penh pavilion, visitors will be able to learn about these activities while sampling products associated with the coastal region, including Kampot pepper, fleur de sel, traditional sauces and dried shrimp.
A tasting session involving partners and guest speakers is scheduled for Nov 15.
Organisers said the pavilion would welcome visitors in Khmer, French and English, with membership open to individuals, businesses, associations and patrons of all nationalities.
“By becoming a member — whether as an individual, business, association, or patron — you contribute to a collective effort that places people, culture, and the environment at the core of Kep’s future,” the announcement said.
The pavilion will be located in the International Village’s “Francophonie in Cambodia” area at Wat Botum Park and will open daily from 8am to 8pm throughout the Nov 13–17 programme.
