The growing number of tourists also provides opportunities for smaller urban spaces to compete with Cambodia’s larger cities through the creation of region-specific tourism industries. Such is the case in the northwestern provincial capital of Battambang City, where local residents and their provincial government are attempting to establish a ‘symbolic economy’ based on tourism that can tempt tourists away from well-trod tourist attractions found elsewhere in favor of regional offerings. To establish a symbolic economy, residents of Battambang are utilizing two key aspects of the Disneyization process: theming and performative labor. In Battambang, themes are reinforced through the postmodern presentation of the urban landscape.
