The new Kampot tourism seaport, which is currently under construction and about 30% complete, should be finished by mid-2020 according to the Kampot provincial tourism department.
The Cambodian government hopes the port will contribute as a gateway for tourists to travel to the province. “Once the seaport is completed and put into service, it will contribute to boosting the province’s tourism, particularly to link tourism package of Kampot province to tourism destinations in Vietnam and Thailand,” said Soy Sinol, Director of Kampot Provincial Tourism Department.
Sinol added that the seaport was scheduled to be completed in April 2020, but due to technical works, the deadline for completion has been delayed to later this year said the Khmer Times.
Thus far, some parts of the passenger terminal and road access to the port have been completed.
Kampot Seaport
In total, the Kampot seaport is costing about $8 million with funding made via a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The seaport is 300 metres long and can accommodate vessels carrying 300 to 400 passengers.
An ADB report on tourism in the Greater Mekong Subregion says “the seaport is expected to service 360,000 international and domestic tourists per year when it opens.”
“The port would also facilitate travel along the Cambodian coast and enhance the flow of tourists from neighbouring Vietnam and Thailand,” Sinol added.
Tourism in Kampot
In 2019, Kampot had about 1.6 million local and international tourists with 10% being international tourists, mostly from Vietnam, the European Union and Asia-Pacific.
Key attractions in the area include the famous Kampot pepper and the farms, the Bokor National Park, the salt fields and the tourism based on the river. In addition, the attraction of the former colonial seaside town of Kep and Koh Seh (Horse Island) are being used to increase tourism to the region.
Sinol also said there is a push to increase the amount of accommodation in Kampot, to have 2,500 to 6,000 rooms in response to demand from the number of tourists, as well as more “medium and high-class restaurants and hotels and other entertainment centres.”
