(Kyodo) - Cambodia reopened an airport Monday in the emerging beach resort destination of Sihanoukville, in the country's southwest, providing direct access to the coast from the northern tourist hub of Siem Reap, home to the famed Angkor temples.
The rehabilitated Sihanoukville Airport, which had long been closed, will initially cater for smaller planes capable of carrying up to 64 passengers, officials said.
Its 1,800-meter runway is due to be expanded by late 2008 to accommodate larger planes such as the Boeing 737 and the Airbus 320.
Sihanoukville, located 230 kilometers southwest of Phnom Penh, is Cambodia's only deep-water port and a major beach resort town.
Also known as Kompong Som, it hosts many of Cambodia's industries, especially garment factories, and serves as a base for the emerging oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Thailand.
Cambodia has two international airports -- in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap -- and another domestic airport at Ratanakiri in the country's northeast.
Thong Khon, secretary of state at the Tourism Ministry, told Kyodo News that as the flow of foreign tourists increases year by year, the launch of the new airport shows that Cambodia is working to accommodate it.
"With enhanced air transportation links in the country and in the region, Sihanoukville will be promoted as a major beach resort and industry base," Thong Khon said.
He said 1.7 million tourists visited Cambodia in 2006 compared with 1.4 million in 2005. Some 280,000 tourists visited Sihanoukville in 2006, among them nearly 80,000 foreign tourists, he said.
The rehabilitated Sihanoukville Airport, which had long been closed, will initially cater for smaller planes capable of carrying up to 64 passengers, officials said.
Its 1,800-meter runway is due to be expanded by late 2008 to accommodate larger planes such as the Boeing 737 and the Airbus 320.
Sihanoukville, located 230 kilometers southwest of Phnom Penh, is Cambodia's only deep-water port and a major beach resort town.
Also known as Kompong Som, it hosts many of Cambodia's industries, especially garment factories, and serves as a base for the emerging oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Thailand.
Cambodia has two international airports -- in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap -- and another domestic airport at Ratanakiri in the country's northeast.
Thong Khon, secretary of state at the Tourism Ministry, told Kyodo News that as the flow of foreign tourists increases year by year, the launch of the new airport shows that Cambodia is working to accommodate it.
"With enhanced air transportation links in the country and in the region, Sihanoukville will be promoted as a major beach resort and industry base," Thong Khon said.
He said 1.7 million tourists visited Cambodia in 2006 compared with 1.4 million in 2005. Some 280,000 tourists visited Sihanoukville in 2006, among them nearly 80,000 foreign tourists, he said.
5 comments:
yeah, let brings the bucks! but the gov't must find more alternatives to make money. it is too risky for the economy to depending on just garment and tourism to grow. god for sake what if there is major terrorism attacks worldwide; this will inevitably effect Cambodia's economy in a very big and negative way. we must diversify our growth base. we are losing time everyday when the gov't do something to facilitate.
There is growth potential to be had with online technology in Cambodia. While any economy will be effected by world events, technology will be much more stable than any other sector. This will determine Cambodia's true economic future.
Tourism should be promoted, as it will be a HUGE surplus to the Cambodian economy. Tourism is good because jobs and income will be leaked into the local economy. Tourism will also bring ALOT of foreign investors not just from the East, but from the West too. Cambodia needs both.
In addition to garment, Cambodia has the ability to export "crops" and other produce. The problem there lies in the technicality aspect of it. Why bother doing all the "trading" work, when one can just grow rice and depend on foreigners to export home made products. Cambodia will have to rely less on foreigners and export it's own goods.
In addition to diversifying the markets, the Cambodian government needs to pour much more effort into raising the standard of living for ordinary Khmers. Teacher's salary and civil servants in particular needs to be raise (at least $100 to $200 per month). The more money people have, the more they will put into the economy. Having poor consumers is unhealthy for a thriving economy.
So when are you going to send in
the cashes for these teachers then?
i agreed with 7:33am everything. we need leaders with university education to understand this aspect of healthy economy. obviously most cambodian leaders are not up to par to even realize what coming at them. there are virtually no preparations for competion and future growth. what they do is only dealing with current situation and problem. cambodia must learn to look ahead beyond the curve! cambodia must hire good educated gov't officials. they must stop hiring ignorant people for the sake of their bribery money. we are embarrassed and ashamed to have them speak on behalf of our country.
Hey, Cambodia is no texbook.
don't bring any of that shits
here. We need people that have
common sense and SomDach Hun Sen
have shattered all records in
khmer history in term of
development and peace.
Did see any war? Did you see
any suicide bombers? of course not.
And that is the way we like it.
Get it?
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