Cambodia Bay surfaces as next destination to watch

Cambodia Bay surfaces as next destination to watch

PATA Travel Mart | 19 September 2014

CAMBODIA Bay's Kep is being touted as a destination with star potential as buyers seek out fresh offerings beyond Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

ICS Travel Group sales manager, Kanoungnit Thongpunparn, observed growing demand from not just Europe and the US, but also an increase in regional business.

Services Excellent Tours Phnom Penh general manager, Hem Chan Piseth, said: “Kep gives tourists another feeling compared to Siem Reap, as well as Sihanoukville (also located in Cambodia Bay), which draws a younger crowd. Kep is for middle-aged to older tourists.”

Calling Cambodia’s coastal destinations “underfocused (on) and underdeveloped”, Angkor Expeditions’ general manager, Paula Harrigan, said: “Sihanoukville is a kind of Vegas by the sea, very racy and vibrant, but Kep is a small town with an unspoiled stretch of beach.

“You can still see the remnants of Kep’s past glory in the old villas, of what it was before. It’s now undergoing a renaissance.”

The southern province, popular among Cambodians for its fresh seafood, was a beach town during colonial rule, drawing French residents and elite Cambodians who built beachfront villas.

Hem elaborated: “You can go cycling, visit waterfalls and nearby islands. There are a lot of French colonial buildings and new hotel investments are also coming into Kep...There are nice, almost five-star resorts such as Veranda Natural Resort.”

The Phnom Penh-Kep road has also been reconstructed, he pointed out.

Cambodian tourism minister Thong Khon told media at PTM yesterday that the government is also considering easing visa restrictions for travellers heading to Cambodia Bay, which stretches across four provinces.