Professor Nowak Foundation

As someone who is deep in thoughts, curious, and still figuring things out, I possess a tendency to ensure that the work I do matter and could reflect my compassion about lasting impacts, while trying to build a future that feels fulfilling rather than just impressive. The internship with international organization like GIZ has brought the experience of living in Cambodia for seven months and acted as a gate-opener to an uncharted territory of cross-country program I had limited encounter with. It came with the feeling of being assess publicly for the compilation of projects I've previously involved with, which I actually wasn't fully sure of on whether those will equip me with the necessary practical skills for this new journey.

To preface, GIZ, which stands for Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (German Agency for International Cooperation) implements worldwide development programs on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). I was hosted from August 2025 to February 2026 by the Improved Competitiveness of National Enterprises (ICONE) Program that works among various industries in Cambodia intensively, including the tourism sectors, and at the time based in Siem Reap Province. During my internship, I conducted an interdisciplinary comparative research study that explores resource-use practices among private sectors in Bali, Indonesia and Siem Reap, Cambodia as well as comparing perceived environmental pressures between destinations, which was relevant to GIZ ICONE's mandate of strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of tourism enterprises in Cambodia.

When reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho a few years prior, there was one sentence that still leaves a lasting impression to me as a young person; "When you really want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it". Without intending to fully depart from rational analysis, I should acknowledge that the process of refining academic direction while already being exposed to various environmental and social advocacy works for a few years prior played a significant role in embodying this message. Because it had significantly shaped my career preferences, how I think I want to use my capacity for broader scale, but it didn't help in making it easier to decide what bachelor program I shall go for or where to study. And as stated earlier that it is important for me to be involved in what I consider as 'enriching and heart-fulfilling activities', some doors were opened. But I'm going to provide a story of one that worked, and in the most unexpected yet beautiful way has shifted my view about how a learning experience should be.

My networks for five years at the time, Prof. Dr. Claus Nowak and his wife, Christa Limmer from the Professor Nowak Foundation, proposed a striking idea of doing an internship in a neighboring country for a German organization that I wasn't familiar with (pardon my limited knowledge of global development affairs at the time). Reflecting from previous records, I always put high trust and deep interest in exploring the possibilities that Claus and Christa suggest because they in fact are more experienced and have way broader networking than I am. They mentioned that they know someone, a project director at one of GIZ' programs in Cambodia that they can reached out to regarding possible placement.

As per usual, "We open the door for you, but you have to be the one who steps inside". The first time that sentence was being conveyed to me was in 2019 when I was a member of an exchange group supported by Prof. Nowak Foundation. I since then have to teach myself to stand and/or choose what to do with the opportunities that are present in our lives, whether it was brought to us or gained from our efforts. So, I contacted, the project director, and had an online meeting to discuss if there's any GIZ program in Cambodia that align with my interests. A few weeks after that call, we reached the conclusion that he could try to put me on to assignments related to the tourism sector and business practices – consider if knowledge were measured in units of length, my practical understanding regarding those matters at the time would've been close to a millimeter, or at least that's how I felt.

After several months of waiting, I finally being granted a contract in the field of eco-tourism and nature conservation. It was in fact only two days prior from my planned departure to Siem Reap, Cambodia when I got the email, so my family and I had a contemplatively short preparation time. Additionally, I received pre-trip support from the Prof. Nowak Foundation and other colleagues in GIZ ICONE to ensure that I was in a good state in Cambodia. All of which are the kind of support that are indispensable in making the internship possible and meaningful.

Being a freshly-hatched chick in the environment filled with professionals from various cultural background, I experienced a deep transition period that emerged internal questions regarding my capacity. I recall during the first few weeks I needed to discuss with Claus and Christa through video calls on how to produce gratifying results from my contract as a 'Consultant of Eco-tourism and Nature Conservation'. As above-mentioned, I take the wordings on the paper very seriously, so the concerns evolved around the idea of how to shift my previously more community-and-ecologically-focused paradigms to embed economy development and business sectors. What they said caught me off guard, even though they've said it long before I received the contract but I've forgotten because to me, a title always comes with its responsibilities. And the thoughts of how to enroll the responsibilities superbly have seized my focus from the actual purpose of this support.

It wasn't merely to produce gratifying results or to finally perform what I've learned along the way, they said, rather it was supposed to be a learning-by-doing experience. The opportunity should allow me to experience living abroad independently, exploring my interests, creating new networks with fresh perspectives, and getting abundant different insights that I eventually gain during my stay for seven months in Cambodia. Visa arrangements and daily life management with not two, but three currencies are definitely on top of the list when it comes to things that had unexpectedly cost me my sanity when handling it. Nevertheless, we will now delve deeper into what the seven month-exploratory project uncovers related to the tourism industry in Bali and Siem Reap.

Destination Capacity and Resource Efficiency: A Comparative Study of Bali and Siem Reap

In an increasingly globalized world, tourism has become a rapidly expanding and continuously evolving industry by contributing around 9.1% to global GDP and generated 27 million new jobs in the year 2023 alone. Despite its economic benefits, tourism development often brings significant environmental pressures to destination areas as it frequently treated natural assets and supporting resources, e.g. local communities, as 'commodities' to form the foundation of visitors' experiences. Within Southeast Asia region, Bali and Siem Reap represent two of the prominent destinations that attract millions of tourists every year, which based on recent studies, reflect different ways of destination management and perceived environmental condition related to the tourism industry. Bali with its well-established tourism branding and rapid development after the 1980s has raised concerns regarding water scarcity, massive land conversion, and waste management; while going both ways with the enforcement of environmental management regulations yet it reflects a contradictory rationale. On the other hand, Siem Reap with relatively more localized and manageable environmental pressures still continue to seek strategies to attract new visitors, while improving several infrastructural challenges and prevent worse challenges related to environmental capacity.

Previous research have examined various aspects of tourism sustainability challenges in Bali, as well as the tourism development dynamics in Siem Reap. These studies provide valuable insights into environmental pressures, tourism governance and development trajectories within each destination individually. However, comparative analyses that examine resource efficiency practices and environmental strategies across these two destinations remain limited in the existing literature. In particular, there is a lack of empirical studies that simultaneously explore the perspectives of tourists, tourism businesses and local institutional contexts in shaping environmentally responsible practices. Therefore, the primary goal of the study is to describe resource-use practices, compare perceived environmental pressures among visitors and assess the adoption of resource-efficiency measures among private sectors in Bali and Siem Reap.

As tourism demand intensifies, the extraction and consumption of local resources, such as water, land, and facilities to manage waste may challenge the sustainability of these destinations. On a broader scale, this issue matters because it concerns not only the well-being of local communities, regulators, natural resources and other living beings in each destination, but also economic sustainability and the future of travel, which in many cases contributes to a renewed sense of meaning and well-being. So no, this research does not seek to attribute unfavorable conditions arising from the fine line between incapacity and unwillingness to run an industry that compensates for its impacts. It matters not only as something for the author to explore, but also to the beloved readers, it acknowledges the complexity of running strategic practices smoothly by uncovering the factors and cross-sector dynamics behind it.

The data derived from two pilot surveys with the total of 50 respondents that have either visit or reside in short amount of time in Bali and/or Siem Reap (locals are not eligible to answer) reveal that visitors actually care about tourism that benefits local communities. This study finds that the implementation of resource-conscious practices in tourism is shaped by the interplay between visitor perceptions, business practices and institutional conditions. Rather than being determined by a single factor, the extent to which sustainability is practiced depends on how visitors understand and respond to environmental concerns, how businesses operationalize sustainability in daily management as well as how institutions establish the regulatory and structural environment in which tourism actors operate.

Visitors Perceptions

Visitor perceptions influence both the visibility and the effectiveness of resource-conscious practices. The data derived from surveys in Bali and Siem Reap that include 15 close and open-ended questions related to how visitors behave toward environmental condition pre and during their trips, perceptions on conscious business model environmental governance, indicates that visitors in both destinations assign high importance to tourism that benefits local communities. Most respondents stated that they would support travel spending that contributes to community well-being and many were also willing to accept a small surcharge (e.g. $5 per project) for local conservation or community projects. However, this awareness is often partial and does not automatically lead to behavioral change. Visitors tend to support sustainable actions when these are convenient for them to implement, clearly communicated and do not significantly reduce comfort or increase cost.

At the same time, tourists tend to notice more visible environmental problems e.g. plastic pollution, litter/solid waste and traffic congestion, more often than less visible technical issues such as wastewater or groundwater-related problems. The survey also shows a difference in pre-trip awareness, in which respondents in Bali were more likely to research environmental conditions before traveling than respondents in Siem Reap. This correlates strongly with different destination's tourism branding. The findings suggest that resource-conscious practices more likely to be practiced by visitors when it is embedded into their experience in a way that is easy to understand, accessible and aligned with visitor expectations.

Business Practices

Shifting the research subject to businesses, the analysis of tourism branding and business strategy shows that businesses respond differently depending on the destination's market structure and resource constraints. In Siem Reap, the tourism economy remains strongly associated with temple-based branding and businesses are increasingly seeking product diversification, more community-oriented experiences as well as stronger destination marketing beyond Angkor Wat. At the operational level, businesses also face major limitations from frailer downstream waste infrastructure, limited recycling and recovery capacity and seasonal market demand. As a result, some service providers rely on short-term coping strategies e.g. discounted pricing, while others try to adapt through local sourcing, packaging changes, or grassroots circular practices.

Bali on the other hand, operates businesses in a more mature and competitive market setting, where resource pressures are more acute and sustainability is increasingly linked to certification, efficiency and market visibility. The resource-efficiency measures (wastewater treatment, alternative water sourcing, energy-saving practices) are shaped not only by environmental pressure but also by cost involved, land scarcity, and customer expectations. Institutional conditions strongly shape the extent to which resource-conscious practices can be adopted and maintained. The findings indicate that factors like regulatory frameworks, enforcement mechanisms, internal stakeholder coordination and institutional support systems all influence the behavior of tourism actors. Businesses and visitors are more likely to engage in sustainable practices when institutions provide clear standards, consistent monitoring and practical guidance. By contrast, the effectiveness of sustainability efforts could reduce when there are weak enforcement, fragmented responsibilities and limited coordination, and could create gaps between policy intention and actual implementation. Institutional conditions therefore function not merely as a background context, but as a decisive factor that enables, limits, and/or directs sustainability outcomes in the tourism system.

Institutional Conditions

It emerges as a decisive factor in whether sustainability norms are translated into practice. In Bali, the presence of regulatory requirements, groundwater limits, sewage treatment obligations and a local verification body creates a more structured institutional environment for sustainability implementation. Meaning that it makes resource efficiency and certification more visible and market-relevant because the normative and cognitive pillars are being well supported, as explained in Institutional Theory used as one of the frameworks in this study. In Siem Reap, by contrast, institutional architecture around waste management and verification is still developing, with gaps in downstream processing (with the economic potential that waste has, it is contemplatively not enough to stop at the collection step. The system should be able to utilize, for instance, by categorizing the material or providing recycling center), certification visibility, and enforcement capacity. The result is a policy and practice gap in which expectations for resource-conscious behavior exist, yet the supporting systems needed to implement them at scale remain limited. The findings therefore show that institutional capacity is not only a background condition but a core determinant of whether normative pressure becomes actual business investment.

For greater clarity and a more comprehensive understanding of the study, readers are strongly encouraged to explore the full report of this exploratory research. The report provides more detailed information regarding the data collection process, the strengths and limitations of the findings, and the study's broader methodological limitations. It also presents recommendations from research participants for each destination on how to better implement resource-efficiency practices, which indirectly reveals the aspects visitors tend to focus on in each destination.

Working on the research report was only one of the many valuable takeaways from this experience, which I often describe as "working on a thesis before even entering higher education." My internship with GIZ ICONE opened an entirely new professional perspective for me to continue learning and developing myself. It was a privilege to be exposed to how a government-affiliated organization designs and implements development programs, while also allowing me to build multi-level, cross-country networks and gain insights into Cambodia's private sector and financial landscape, and to understand environmental issues through the lens of business practices and policy-making. I feel fortunate to have been part of such a welcoming and closely connected team like ICONE, which gave me a very positive impression of a professional career environment. I could genuinely see myself pursuing further as I grow and mature.

I also had the opportunity to experience life in different parts of Cambodia, from the city of Siem Reap to its rural areas, traveling through various provinces, and eventually reaching the capital city of Phnom Penh. Many of these experiences were made possible through the unexpected kindness and generosity of the people and connections I encountered along the way. Beyond the professional aspect, learning to navigate organizational administration, visa processes, accommodation arrangements, daily responsibilities, and maintaining communication with family all became part of the experience. These practical realities contributed significantly to my personal growth, especially as an 18-year-old learning to live independently abroad for the first time.

Although I may have written a lot, these words still cannot fully capture the countless memories and meaningful lessons that have shaped who I am at this very moment. Experiencing this opportunity firsthand also reinforced my belief in the importance of networking, openness to opportunities and the value of meaningful support systems. It made me realize how much the right opportunities and connections can positively shape a person's life, while also encouraging me to eventually help others access opportunities that may support their own growth as well.

While I'm still discovering what I can contribute to the world, and understanding that this may continue to evolve over time, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to the people and institutions who supported me throughout this journey, particularly during this internship. My deepest thanks go to Professor Nowak Foundation for believing in and supporting my work, and for making this opportunity possible. I'd also like to thank GIZ ICONE for the mentorship and support received during my time in Cambodia. Last but not least, a heartfelt thank you to all the connections and friends I met along the way, too many to mention individually here. Cambodia has significantly shaped my personal and professional growth, and I sincerely hope to return in the future.