PHNOM PENH, Dec 13, 2006 (AFP) - Cambodia will reopen an international airport at the kingdom's coastal resort town next month in a bid to boost foreign tourism demand, officials said Wednesday.
Sihanoukville airport, 230 kilometers (140 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh, will resume operations on January 15, with international routes expected in late 2007, Soy Sokhan, a civil aviation official, said.
The airport has been closed since the early 1980s due to financial difficulties, but the Cambodian government has asked a subsidiary of France's biggest construction group, Vinci, to run the airport.
"Our company hopes that there will be a lot of flights from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville so that more tourists can stay in Cambodia for a longer period," said Norinda Khek, a spokesman of French firm Societe Concessionnaire des Aeroports (SCA).
Siem Reap is the hub for the world's famed Angkor Wat temple complex.
Norinda said SCA would invest 200 million dollars to improve operations at Sihanoukville airport including expanding its runway to handle bigger aircraft.
"By late next year, large airplanes can land at the airport," he said, adding that the French company would operate the airport until 2040.
Cambodia is one of the world's poorest countries, and tourism is a rapidly growing industry bringing in much-needed revenue.
In August, Cambodia unveiled a new 18 million dollar international terminal at Siem Reap airport, which is also run by SCA.
More than 1.4 million tourists visited Cambodia last year and the government aims to attract three million per year by 2010.
Sihanoukville airport, 230 kilometers (140 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh, will resume operations on January 15, with international routes expected in late 2007, Soy Sokhan, a civil aviation official, said.
The airport has been closed since the early 1980s due to financial difficulties, but the Cambodian government has asked a subsidiary of France's biggest construction group, Vinci, to run the airport.
"Our company hopes that there will be a lot of flights from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville so that more tourists can stay in Cambodia for a longer period," said Norinda Khek, a spokesman of French firm Societe Concessionnaire des Aeroports (SCA).
Siem Reap is the hub for the world's famed Angkor Wat temple complex.
Norinda said SCA would invest 200 million dollars to improve operations at Sihanoukville airport including expanding its runway to handle bigger aircraft.
"By late next year, large airplanes can land at the airport," he said, adding that the French company would operate the airport until 2040.
Cambodia is one of the world's poorest countries, and tourism is a rapidly growing industry bringing in much-needed revenue.
In August, Cambodia unveiled a new 18 million dollar international terminal at Siem Reap airport, which is also run by SCA.
More than 1.4 million tourists visited Cambodia last year and the government aims to attract three million per year by 2010.
1 comment:
The easier it is for tourist to visit Cambodia, the better. Tourism is an industry that can help local Cambodians.
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