Cambodia to diversify

Cambodia Ministry of Tourism hopes to encourage international tourists to visit coastal areas and ecotourism destinations to take pressure off Siem Reap. The ministry’s marketing & promotion department representative, Hou Sokhom, told TTR Weekly that the country needs to encourage tourists to travel more to other destinations besides Angkor Wat in Siem Reap and the capital Phnom Penh. … Cambodia coastal area covers 435 km including Koh Kong province and Sihanoukville Municipality. … Mondul Kiri is one of the most popular destinations for ecotourism in Cambodia, while the small town of Kratie province is famous for Irrawaddy dolphins. It is estimated that there are less than 80 dolphins left. The best spot to watch the dolphins is at Kampi village, 15 km north from town. During January to March this year, coastal areas shared only 11.7% of all visits to the country at 170,967, while ecotourism areas accounted just 1.4% or 19,857 visits. Meanwhile, tourist arrivals to Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat, posted a market share of 53.4% attracting 778,737 visits, while arrivals to Phnom Penh and other destinations accounted for 33.5%, or 489,185 trips. …

Wanwisa Ngamsangchaikit
http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2014/06/cambodia-to-diversify/