Skual Tours: How Simony Pech is Rewriting the Rules of Travel

For Simony Pech, tourism was never just about showing off landscapes; it was about building a genuine human bridge. Born and raised in a rural village nestled in Battambang province, Simony’s early path was shaped by financial hardship. His family struggled to support his education, leaving him as a child who saw big possibilities but faced strict limitations. Yet, he refused to let his world stay small. He found his anchor in language, immersing himself first in Khmer literature and later teaching himself English by walking into free classes run by a local NGO. When he stepped into the tourism industry back in 2014 as an eager guide trainee, he possessed plenty of curiosity but zero personal experience with travel. Over the next decade, working as an outdoor educator and leading educational trips for international students, the highway became his classroom. It was on these dusty roads that he discovered the true weight of responsible tourism. He realized that travel is never neutral—it either leaves a community better off or chips away at its soul. As the years pressed on, Simony watched the industry shift into a frantic, shallow race for quick photos. He saw young travelers rushing through villages, consuming experiences for a fleeting emotional high without ever looking the locals in the eye. It was a heartbreaking gap, and it sparked a fire in him. To challenge this, he dug his roots deep into his hometown and founded Skual Tours in 2025, pioneering a movement of intentional, community-centered "slow travel."

"I chose the word Skual (សាល់) because, in Khmer culture and Buddhist philosophy, it means so much more than just surface-level knowing," Simony reflects. "It describes an active process of earning knowledge through time, effort, and reflection. You cannot say you skual a place or a person just by standing there once."

Through curated heritage walks and local food tours, Skual Tours acts as a protective shield and a bridge. Instead of allowing travelers to treat rural artisans and families like props in a tourist attraction, Simony structures his experiences so that foreigners enter as learners and locals stand tall as teachers. This philosophy extends directly to his team. When mentoring the next generation of young Khmer guides, Simony doesn't run from Cambodia's heavy historical trauma. Instead, he teaches his team to extract hope, resilience, and intense positivity from past struggles, carrying the country's history with pride rather than grief. Simony challenges today’s youth to step out of their comfort zones and view life’s pressures not as a barrier, but as a mirror to discover their true strength. As he works to scale Skual Tours into a trusted national model, his ultimate ambition isn't a massive corporate empire—it is a transformation of mindset. He hopes his journey proves a lasting truth to the young changemakers of Cambodia: "Tradition is your root. You have to skual who you are and understand where you come from before you can ever successfully build where you are going."

Disclaimer: All Photos Belong To Simony Pech

Reported by The Khmer Daily Desk