Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, the biggest port in Cambodia, has seen a 15 percent increase in the volume of cargo in the first quarter of 2013—a growth attributed to milled rice and fuel exports.

SAP processed 759,897 tons from January to March this year, up from 659,489 tons in the same period last year.

According to Ma Sunhout, deputy director-general of the port, the growth in foreign direct investment in the Kingdom drove the demand for imported material to sustain the increase in the industry.

Export activity in SAP also got a boost from growing exports of agricultural products particularly cassava and milled rice.

Export volume reached 173,149 tons in the three month period, and total import volume hit 586,747. Thirty-seven percent of total exports came from fuel.

Milled rice was the biggest agricultural export of Cambodia, having increased 102 percent in the first quarter, from 35,579 tons in Q1 2012 to 71,881 tons in Q1 2013.

The post Sihanoukville port enjoys 15 pct growth in cargo appeared first on Sihanoukville.info.

The local private airline is preparing its application for air operator certificate from the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), says Brian Naswall, chief executive of Aero Cambodia. Potential destinations include Ratanakkiri, Battambang and Koh Kong.

Ratanakkiri has huge potential for eco-tourism, but travelling there is uncomfortable due to bad road conditions. Air travel is faster; flying from the capital to Ratanakkiri will take an hour and 15 minutes.

The airline also hopes to launch flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, Naswall.

“We will start off with chartered flights and, if our customers demand more, we may start scheduled flights,” he adds. Airlines usually use chartered flights, arranged through private hiring arrangements, to test market demand for new flights.

Aero Cambodia’s final destinations will also depend on the airline’s ability to afford airport fees and the success of its test flights.

Earlier this year, the airline successfully conducted trial flights in Koh Kong, Sihanoukville and the islands around Koh Rong with the Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian plane. The 12-seater plane allows the carrier to reach more locations.

Aero Cambodia is set to become the fourth local airline in Cambodia.

The post Aero Cambodia plans to launch domestic flights appeared first on Sihanoukville.info.

“I recently opened a company that provides real estate services in Preah Sihanouk,” said Cheng Kheng, head of the Cambodian Valuers and Estate Agents Association and director of the CPL property company. “Many investors have invested there but it doesn’t have condos or apartments yet but it will have soon, due to some companies who are studying the market.”

Sihanoukville draws visitors with its picturesque sea with fine blue water and golden sand. As more tourists visit the province and more investors invest, land prices increase as well.

Mao Polin, chief executive of Great Home Real Estate, shared the same sentiment, saying the province has the potential of the scenic seaside location that attracts both local and international visitors. The number of foreign investors in bungalows and hotels recently has substantially improved, but land prices have just increased 5 to 10 percent over the same period last year.

Some firms that invested in flats and villas had not earned due to poor sales, and many affluent buyers only buy the sites for entertainment, he said.

Cheng Keng believes that apartments or condos will succeed in time as buyers will come to make a purchase gradually in spite of currently sluggish sales.

The post Land prices in Sihanouk mainly flat appeared first on Sihanoukville.info.

Aside from improving the tourism appeal of the host provinces and enhance infrastructure, the River Festival aims to promote the preservation of natural resources and diversity, said Tourism Minister Thong Khon.

The province of Kratie, home of the freshwater dolphins in Mekong, will host the inaugural River Festival to support neighboring eco-tourism sites.

The festival’s exact date, however, has not yet been determined as preparations are still in the early stages, the minister said.

Som Sun, who owns tour operator Mekong Heritage, lauded the initiative of the ministry, but stressed that officials should further improve the quality of tourism in service and hospitality.

The new festival will use the 2011 Sea Festival in Sihanoukville as a model.

The post Cambodia plans annual River Festival appeared first on Sihanoukville.info.

Based on figures from the Tourism Department of Sihanoukville, the 42 tour cruise-ships that docked at the seaport carried 23,517 multinational tourists in 2012.

There were just 27 cruise-ships with about 15,000 tourists in 2011.

The post Preah Sihanouk International Seaport welcomes more tourists in 2012 appeared first on Sihanoukville.info.

The 256-km Southern Line is the first part of the rail network that is set for full restoration.

Toll Royal Railways, which operates the line, plans to start running trains thrice a week to the port transporting goods including rubber, garments and rice for export, said David Kerr, CEO of Toll Royal.

Trains could carry a maximum of 128 containers, which are around 6m long, once the company obtains the go-ahead from the customs department.

The biggest contributor to the project, which has obtained $141.6 million of funding, is the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which has provided a loan worth $84 million for the plan.

Other funds have come from the Cambodian government, the Australian government, Malaysia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

The new service would help lower the cost of commodities, boost the economy and alleviate road traffic by decreasing the dependence on trucks to transport goods, ADB said in a statement.

“In sum, the modern Cambodian railway will strengthen the business environment, create jobs and incomes, improve road safety, and stimulate local and foreign investment,” the statement said.

The post First cargo train connects Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville appeared first on Sihanoukville.info.

The Cambodian Petrochemical Company and Sinomach China Perfect Machinery Industry Corp signed a deal on the $2.3 billion refinery in Kampot at the Council of Ministers in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh.

The plant will likely cost $2.3 billion and will take up to 36 months to construct, said Sinomach general manager Zhang Sugang during the ceremony.

The companies have been granted an 8-ha plot of land in Kampot, close to the border of Sihanoukville, where the plant will be constructed, though the exact location for the refinery was not revealed.

Currently, Cambodia’s oil demand is over 1 million tons a year and would soon hit up to 4 million tons per year owing to the growing economy of the country.

The post Cambodia’s first oil refinery to start construction this year appeared first on Sihanoukville.info.

This was agreed upon during the 8^th Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission that took place in Bangkok.

Issues discussed during the event included the development of Route 46 from Trat, Thailand, to Sihanoukville, Cambodia; the opening of permanent checkpoints at Ban Nong Eiang, Sa Kaeo connecting Stung Bot in Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia; and a railway extension from the Aranyaprathet checkpoint on the eastern border of Thailand into Cambodia.

The Cambodian and Thai representatives also agreed to a joint suppression of human trafficking and illegal logging of Siamese rosewood on the border, as well as a land survey for border demarcation.

The Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission, which reconvenes following a two-year recess, indicates a better relationship between Thailand and Cambodia.

The post Thailand, Cambodia discuss essential issues during meeting appeared first on Sihanoukville.info.

Sihanoukville drew about 40,000 local tourists, who traveled from the capital and other provinces, said Seng Kha, deputy director of the tourism department of the province of Preah Sihanouk.

This figure, however, is not significantly different from the past year, when the festival was called off.

While throngs of local tourists flocked to the seaside province, prices of accommodation and foods were higher than usual, Seng Kha said, adding that it was a bonus for service providers and fishermen who worked during the holiday.

Siem Reap, home of the most famous cultural heritage sites in Cambodia, failed to see many local tourists due to the cancellations of its boat racing celebrations, said a provincial tourism official.

Other provinces that benefited from the festival were Ratanakiri, which saw around 30 percent increase in the number of local tourists to more than 4,400; and Kampot, which welcomed around 37,000 national tourists, up 37.79 percent from the same period in 2011.

The post Provinces draw more tourists during Water Festival appeared first on Sihanoukville.info.

Leaving in October and November 2013 on board the Diamond Princess, the 10- and 11-day Asia cruises start in Singapore, taking in some of ports of call in Southeast Asia such as Phuket, Nha Trang, Bali and Bangkok, as well as two ports not typically visited on Diamond Princess cruises: Sihanoukville, Cambodia and Penang, Malaysia.

The 11-day Southeast Asia cruise will sail round trip from Singapore and make a call at Brunei, Nha Trang, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, Cambodia’s Sihanoukville, and Thailand’s Ko Samui and Bangkok.

The 10-day Malaysia Peninsula and Indonesia cruise sail round trip from Singapore, with passengers getting a chance to explore Bali in Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Phuket in Thailand.

Both journeys can be combined into a 21-day Southeast Asia Grand Adventure, with passengers being able to take advantage of shore excursion options including Bangkok’s Grand Palace. An overland excursion also offers guests a chance to visit the magnificent temples in Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Fares for the new Asia cruises start at $1,449 for each person, double occupancy.

The post Diamond Princess cruises to Southeast Asia appeared first on Sihanoukville.info.