SIEM REAP: Japanese company Treeful plans to invest in a luxury tree house hotel to break a new record on Kulen Mountain after breaking world records on Japan’s Okinawa Island in early August 2022.

TreeFul Representative Nabesshima Katsuhito recently said that in early 2023, world-renowned engineer and founder of TreeFul, Satoru Kikugawa, came to study prospects of expanding his concept to Cambodia.

After seeing the potential of Phnom Kulen with his own eyes, Satoru Kikugawa was interested in building luxury treehouses on the historic mountain, and sent experts in agriculture, environment and logistics to assess the area’s suitability and potential impacts of the project. He then proceeded to submit a master plan to the relevant ministries for permission on the investment.

Katsuhito said that Phnom Kulen has large trees, water, and wildlife and is close to the ancient capital of Angkor, making it an ideal site for his luxury treehouse chain. He said that if approved, the project will benefit Cambodia in terms of economy, environment and poverty reduction of people in the region.

"This treehouse will become a new tourism package in Cambodia. It will help attract quality tourists to visit and extend their stay in Cambodia, especially in Siem Reap itself,” he said.

He said the house will be designed with luxury and environmentally friendly concepts in mind. He noted that he comes from Japan, which is itself an eco-conscious country, and that the project is in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He emphasized that the project could potentially bring more investment to Cambodia from Japan due to his company’s renown.

The Treeful treehouse hotel is an innovative concept that incorporates the environment and biodiversity and does not destroy the surrounding landscape. Rather, it helps protect trees from deforestation. They said that construction is carefully considered, and that the trees are not damaged, not even by a single nail.