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LOLEI TRAVEL (CAMBODIA) Office: N°91, str. 141, Sangkat Beoung Prolit Kh 7 Makara. 12252 Phnom Penh. Mail: P.O. Box: 1395, 12202 Phnom Penh. Kingdom of Cambodia Tel./Fax (855 23) 21 00 89, Mobile: (855 12) 80 60 33, E-Mail: [email protected]
Newsletter January 2000
SIEM REAP Cleanup From Angkor 2000 ContinuesCambodia Daily, 5 th Jan. 00
Cleanup efforts are nearly complete at the Angkor temples in Siem Reap, after three days of millennium celebrations and tens of thousands of revelers left the area less than pristine. According to Apsara Authority officials, 200 workers are gathering what they said is mostly paper and plastic food containers. “We want to keep tourists travelling to a great environment at Angkor temples,” said Chap Nhalyvuth, governor of Siem Reap. He said most of the trash was burned and buried about 100 meters west of the temples. (Environment???) Ouk Sun Heng, an Apsara staff member, said the area around the Bayon temple remains unclean because of the large number of vendors stationed there during the event. Trash also came from locals who cooked meals on temple grounds, he said.
SIEM REAPPM cancels Another Siem Reap Hotel Deal Cambodia Daily 7th Jan. 00
Prime Minister Hun Sen has halted a second hotel project involving state property in Siem Reap, a government spokesman said Thursday. Hotel Villa Apsara Ltd, owned by a partner in the Sokha-Phally Dusit Group that owns Dusit Hotel in Phnom Penh and gem stores, had planned to rebuild a 50-room hotel on property where a government guest house has stood decades. But Hun Sen cancelled the property lease agreement between the company and the Siem Reap authorities on Wednesday, citing it didn’t go through proper channels, said Khieu Thavika, spokesman of the Council of Ministers. “The Major problem with the issue is procedure”, said Khieu Thavika. “[The lease] should’ve been approved by the Ministry of Finance and the Council of Ministers, especially if the case involves Siem Reap – the nation’s cultural and historical centre”.
Hun Sen issued a sub decree that also ordered the property to be returned to the provincial authorities and be managed by the Apsara Authority. Apsara is the government agency that oversees the temples area. The Villa Apsara case follows on the heels of Hun Sen nixing the Royal Group of Cambodia’s plan to build a 300-room, four star hotel near the Angkor Wat temples. The same reasons were given: The prominent Cambodian firm did not obtain permission from the Finance Ministry or the Council of Ministries. “This is a kind of warning for investors who ignore the proper procedure,” said Khieu Thavika. “We will take the same actions not only in Siem Reap but also in other provinces if we find such case’s.” In the case of Villa Apsara, provincial officials said Thursday that the company owned by Tan Phally signed the 30-year lease agreement on the nearly 6,000 square meters of land on 25 Feb., 1999. The land east of the Grand Hotel D’Angkor had been the site of a 25-room guest house built in the 1960s for government officials. The guest house has fallen into disrepair and is seldom used. Neither Tan Phally nor Chea Phakdei could be reached by phone for comment. An official of the Phnom Penh company, who sacked not to be identified, said the company was upset about the government decision. “But if the government wants to take back. We have nothing more to say,” he said. First Deputy Governor Nam Tom in Siem Reap confirmed Thursday the land was given back to the provincial authorities. “The villa now seems an empty building with no furniture and equipment inside and several parts of the building are broken.” said Nam Tom. “It used to be a great building…If we rebuild it, it would cost millions of dollars.”
SIHANOUKVILLE A trip through Ream National Park Phnom Penh Post 7th Jan. 00
One of Cambodia’s most promising national parks, Ream, is taking its first tentative steps into the 21st century with a new agenda for tourism and an emphasis on local management. Sarah Stephens looks at the trial and tribulations of the park over the last few years. Patricia O’Loghlen, Senior Trainer and ranger at Ream National Park, pondered the situation for a moment. Second earlier, the boat driver, a ranger him-self, had inexpertly steered the boat full tilt into a section of mangrove trees, narrowly avoiding tipping both O’Loghlen and the boat’s other occupants, seven now jittery tourists, into the muddy waters. Now the boat was lodged sideways across the narrow stream, after a failed attempt to turn around. Luckily for O’Loghlen, one of the tourists, an Australian ranger, was game to jump in and help turn the stranded craft around. While this may not everyone’s idea of a relaxing holiday trip, it was certainly a learning experience for Ream’s rangers, who are jus becoming accustomed to the concept of tourists in the national park. “A lost of people have said that there’s great potential for eco-tourism here, ‘said O’Loghlen, “but it has to fit in at our pace, with our training of rangers…I think the best approach is slowly-slowly.” “We can’t predict when the tourists are going to come,” she continued. “Sometimes there are none, sometimes we get three boat loads in one day. So we need understanding from people that the service is new and as yet undeveloped.” Despite this, there is still plenty to see. Dolphins are regularly seen in the Prek Teak Sap estuary which forms part of the park, monkeys play in the mangrove canopy, and several species of large water birds can also be found in the swamps. But tourism is not the only issue of concern for the park’s 18 rangers, who protect the 21,000 hectares of coastal land. At the end of 1999 a four year, UNDP backed environmental program ended, ushering in a new era for the park. “I think certain elements of the program have been rather successful,” Said Jean Claude Rogivue, UNDDP Deputy Resident Representative. “There were four components-environmental awareness, information management, capacity building and demonstration projects. The objective was to work with the Cambodian government to create environmental awareness amongst the general
public, and to set up an administrative structure within the park.” One of the great challenges for the rangers has been to work with the local communities who live in the park, and who make a living from the protected land. “There was quite a bit of work to be done to sensitize the logging, illegal fishing and use of the mangroves for charcoal production,” said Rogivue. “Basically you need to convince the communities that it is in their long term interest to protect the area and then give them means of survival.” This included the establishment of community forests and tree nurseries, and surveys on land use. Illegal logging in the park has almost stopped, according to park officials. Although chainsaws are still sometimes confiscate, the decimation the park suffered in earlier years now seems to be a thing of the past. “Most charcoal production in the park has also stopped,” Said O’Loghlen. “there were about 30 kilns at one point, but most of them have gone now, and a lot of the people who used them have turned to fishing.” Illegal fishing, in fact, seems to be an area that the park has yet to beat. “There’s both push net fishing and trawl fishing here, which is very bad news,” said O’Loghlen. “It’s depleting the resources for the local people.” While other small scale projects, such as Wetlands International, will carry on in the park, with UNDP’s funding now gone, the park is entering an uncertain era. “They still need to train the park rangers a lot more,” said O’Loghlen, “and they need that larger international presence there just to monitor the bigger issues.” UNDP emphasizes that it will continue to push for further funding for the park. Of course, the income from tourism is very important for the park,” said Tine Feldman, Program officer at UNDP, “but we have to make sure that the rangers are able to educate the tourists that come, to be able to take them round, answer English with the foreign tourists,” O’Loghlen agreed. “It would be very interesting if somehow UNDP could re-direct their funding into the tourism aspect of the park as part of a project to make it sustainable,” She said. “The park has come a long way, but it still needs help if it is to survive after we’ve all gone.” Lolei Travel is organizing the visit of the National Park of Ream since more then one year including a beach holiday in Sihanoukville. For more information please contact us or visit our web-page: http://www.asiatours.net/cambodia/tours/sv5.html
SIEM REAP First Flight Lands Under ‘Open Skies’ Vietnam, Cambodia Predict Closer Ties, Boost for Siem Reap. The Cambodia Daily 10th Jan. 00
The first new flight since the government launched its “open skies” policy touched down here Friday, carrying a plane full of VIPs and visions of a new era in which Cambodia’s temples will finally receive the attention they deserve. Vietnam Airlines Flight 827 arrived from Ho Chi Minh City – with a short stop in Phnom Penh to pick up more VIP’s – bearing senior government officials from Vietnam to Cambodia. Both sides have high expectations for the new route, predicting it will provide lucrative business for Cambodia and Vietnam. “This is very important because it is of mutual benefit for both sides,” said Doan Manh Giao, Vietnam’s Minister of Cabinet. “Vietnamese tourists and foreign tourists will use this route. It will develop profits and bring socio-economic life to the people of Cambodia. And it will bring the two countries closer in cooperation and social activity.” Some local agents agree. But they repeated concerns that direct flights to Siem Reap could hinder the development in other parts of the country – since many tourists may visit Cambodia only for once and remain ignorant of attractions in Phnom Penh and elsewhere. “I think tourism to Siem Reap will increase,” said by a travel agent in Phnom Penh. “For the moment is going to remain an extension of tours in places like Thailand and Vietnam. But it is not 100 percent good for the country. Everyone will just go to Siem Reap and it may be difficult to bring them back a second time.” Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the newest open skies policy last month, allowing foreign carriers to bypass Phnom Penh. Previously, Bangkok Airways was the sole foreign carrier with the right to do so, in an effort by the government to stimulate tourism in wake of the factional fighting in 1997. Opponents of the policy have long feared such a route would hinder the development of tourism to Phnom Penh. And last month’s announcement drew loud denunciations from local hoteliers and some politicians. But proponents say it is a necessary step to develop tourism in Cambodia, bowing to the reality that many tourists in the region simply do not wish to spend two nights in Phnom Penh en
route to see the famed temples of Angkor Wat and Bayon. Bangkok Airways began operating direct flights to Siem Reap in January 1998. The airline now has five flights a day from Bangkok and Phuket to Siem Reap (There are no direct flights from Phuket to Siem Reap – but 3 flights a week from Siem Reap to Phuket started operating since 1th January. Flights are on TUE / THU & SAT.) The flights have substantial impact, with the number of travellers visiting the temples by air up by almost 100 percent, Thong Khon, secretary of state of the Tourism Ministry. Overall tourism in Siem Reap jumped by at least 35 percent last year, Thong Khon said. Vietnam Airlines will begin regular service here starting Feb. 16. The final number of weekly flights has not yet been decided, but officials say they will likely start with five. Nyugen Tien Sam, director general of Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Authority, said he expects Vietnam Airlines to transport more than 10,000 passengers on the route in the first year. As demand increases, “we believe we could carry more than 20,000 or 30,000 people a year,” he said. For Vietnam, the route is part of a regional tourism strategy. The Vietnamese national airline also is hoping to expand into the markets of Laos, Burma and Thailand in order to “create a tourist network to the five countries” that will draw visitors from around the world through Vietnam. Cambodia’s leader have plans of their own. The government is trying to work out deals with airlines in Singapore and China to fly direct to Siem Reap, Thong Khon said. Speaking at a ceremony at Siem Reap airport, Minister of Cabinet Sok An said the Cambodian government will also in the future seek direct flights to other parts of the country, such as Rattanakiri to promote “eco-tourism” and to Sihanoukville to promote the beaches. There are also plans for massive infrastructure upgrades. The government plans to build a road from the Thai border in Poipet to Siem Reap. They want to upgrade port facilities on the Tonle Sap. And the Siem Reap airport will also be expanded, Thong Kong said. Plans for an airport in Sihanoukville and other potential tourist spots are also in the works. “We want people to be able to come to Siem Reap by air, by road, and by water,” Thong Kong said.
“But the road and the [dock facilities] are not so good. We expect tourism to grow by about 35 percent each year. But in 2003 when we have completed the infrastructure, we expect it to grow 50 percent.”
PAILIN Pailin Polishing for TouristsCambodia Daily 10th Jan.00
Four hours along pot-holed Route 10 from Battambang, the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin seems an unlikely candidate for holiday destination. But now this dusty gem-mining town is looking to shake off its dubious image and to become one of Cambodia’s tourist hot spots, local officials have said. “I think Pailin is a great place, with green trees, mountains rivers, waterfalls and fresh air (and mines). I hope tourists will enjoy it,” Chea Chan Dinh, Pailin police chief, said last week. “We want tourists to see something besides historical temples in Cambodia.”
Chea Chan Dinh said that Pailin authorities are aggressively seeking private investment to attract both local and foreign tourists. A host of new hotels, restaurants and guest houses are under construction, and there are plans to build tourist accommodations long side the river and near the waterfalls, he said. Motorcycle taxi drivers also offer tours that include the villa of former Khmer Rouge deputy premier Ieng Sary, who defected to the government in1996. So far, Pailin pulls in mostly Thai tourists attracted by gems and gambling and weekend visitors from Battambang. So Mara, director-general of the Tourism Ministry, said although officials are considering the tourist potential of semi-autonomous Pailin, developments in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and the northwest temple region take priority. For those still worried about safety, Chea Chan Dinh promised that there is nothing to worry about (???). “Security is good now.” he said.
Phnom Penh, 18th January, 2000
Peter Lietz
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