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TWO KINGDOMS - ONE PROMOTION!
The 5th Mekong Tourism Forum took
place this year in the Kingdom of Cambodia, hosted by that nation's Ministry
of Tourism.
Chiangmai based travel
consultant Reinhard Hohler.
It was organised by the influential Pacific Asia Travel Association
and attended by Chiangmai-based travel consultant Reinhard Hohler. Reinhard
represents the important German Studiosus tour company in Cambodia and,
as he packed his bags, he reflected that Thailand, where tourism is the
Kingdom's 2nd largest earner, has no ministry of Tourism!
One of the most vital emerging tourism destinations in the world, Cambodia
- especially the vast Angkor Wat temple complex near Siem Reap -
has never been more accessible from this area thanks to Bangkok Airways
new service from Chiangmai via Sukhothai. Thrice weekly for about 6,000b
one-way. As long as you have your Cambodia visa already, it's certainly
the fast and easy way by the 46 or 70 seater ATRs.
But I had plenty time and was ready for a small adventure, so decided
to travel by land and sea from Chiangmai to Cambodia, also using this trip
for a visa run. So I started by bus to Pattaya where you can join a tour
to the Cambodian border, but only twice a week and then as a package tour.
To do it as a single traveller, you leave Pattaya by bus to Rayong (a 40
baht journey), take another bus to Chantaburi and Trat for 100 baht, and
finally join a comfortable taxi right to the border post at Ban Hat Lek
for another 100 baht.
If you arrive at the border gate before 5.00pm, you get your passport
stamped and walk to the Cambodian immigration post of Cham Yeam. I already
had a Cambodian entry visa from Bangkok so there was no problem to get
an entry stamp valid for one month. But check the latest info if you want
to fly from here, as I've heard that "soon" you will be able
to get a visa on arrival costing 800b (US$ 20).
From the border post - where the casino of Koh Kong International Resort
Club is so popular with short-stay Thai visitors - you take a 50b motorcycle
taxi to the nearby Koh Kong river and the ferryboat across to the other
side.
Near the port of Koh Kong, 'moto' drivers will take you to your hotel
of choice. I settled down at the Bopha Hotel near the port to get the early
boat next morning to Sihanoukville. Compared to an earlier visit 2 years
ago the night life of Koh Kong was surprisingly subdued. The night club
and restaurant of the port was closed and had shifted to the new Pich Hotel.
The local market closed at sunset - but gave way to some Karaoke bars.
All aboard!
The boat to Sihanoukville left early in the morning. There are two different
boat companies and I took the bigger option named 'Oriental Express'. Foreigners
normally pay 500b for the journey but with the help of a friendly Cambodian
journalist I somehow got a ticket for 300b.
We left the river at 8.00am and headed for the sea after passing the
police station of Paklong. Our boat also passed the big island of Koh Kong
and stopped for a while on Koh Sadet where smuggling seems to be the activity
of the day. Finally, we reached the southern fishing port/resort of Sihanoukville
at noon.
Investors will feel sorry if they - metaphorically - miss the Sihanoukville
boat. This unique place with the best beaches in the Kingdom has the overwhelming
potential to succeed Pattaya as an international seaside resort - and will
be a rival to Phuket in luring tourists to fun, sun and sea. There are
already detailed plans to make Sihanoukville the next international airport
in Cambodia after the capital Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Do I need to say
more?
From Sihanoukville it is a 4 hour bus ride north on Highway Number 4
to Phnom Penh that costs around 120b. The average traveller will settle
down easily in budget hotels like the New Paris Hotel in Sihanoukville
and the Hawaii Hotel in Phnom Penh. Business hotels higher up the scale
include the Seaside Hotel in Sihanoukville and Hotel Le Royal in Phnom
Penh.
It was at the nostalgic Hotel Le Royal, a Raffles International Resort,
where the Forum's welcome dinner was hosted by the Ministry of Tourism.
"Uncovering the Tourism Jewels of the New Century" was the Forum's
motto - and what jewels there are awaiting you! A short video emphasised
just why the 'Greater Mekong Subregion' is emerging as one of the world's
fastest growing tourist destination. H. E. Veng Sereyvuth, Minister of
Tourism, was in a jovial mood. Cambodia's tourism industry grew a solid
41% last year!
The next day, around 200 delegates gathered to hear that the National
Tourist Organisations of the 6 GMS member destinations had agreed to implement
a 'Buddhist tourism circuit' and adopt the traditional New Year festivals
as a common marketing theme. The 'Great Wonders of Suwannaphum' campaign
will feature packages which link heritage sites in Thailand, Cambodia,
Laos, Vietnam, Yunnan and Burma. The Suwannaphum project to change the
former battlefields of Indochina into a market place was actually the brainchild
of a former Thai Prime Minister, the late Chatichai Choonhaven.
Vital for Thailand-Cambodia trade - and land travel enthusiasts - is
the road project connecting Bangkok via Aranyaprathet to Cambodia. This
will be achieved by improving the terrible track from the border town of
Poipet to Siem Reap (now almost impassable by 4 wheel drives in the wet
season!), continuing to Kampong Thom and via Phnom Penh to Saigon in Southern
Vietnam. This will swallow US$78m and may be completed in 2003.
The Forum quite rightly ended with a press conference staged by the
Cambodian Ministry of Tourism. There was a lot of positive news for the
press from this country, now moving on from 30 years of civil war and political
turmoil. Cambodia is banking on tourism, basic infrastructure projects
have been completed and the Kingdom is doing anything and everything to
tell the world it is safe. Tour operators selling the Mekong countries
forecast a bright future for all - and that Cambodia could be the star
where the soul of Suwannaphum will be shining brightly. Two cautionery
notes to end part one of my saga of Two Kingdoms. At present this may not
be the best value visa-trip for foreigners seeking longer stays in Thailand.
My latest information is that single entries only are being issued - 600b
tourist and 800b non-immigrant - only from the Thai Embassy office in Phnom
Penh, open only from 9.00am to noon, Monday to Friday excluding public
holidays.
Last for now, Bangkok Airways run a circular route at present, so
fliers must return to Chiangmai via Bangkok and Sukhothai. The temptation
for many will be to fly outbound and return by sea from Sihanoukville or
by land along those (as yet) unimproved roads. I did the latter. Read all
about it next month!
 Reinhard
Hohler
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