Roundup: Hub in Sihanoukville re-opened to perfect Cambodia's air travel network

A triangular air travel network over western Cambodia was formed as a world-class airport was re-opened on Monday in seaside resort Sihanoukville to embrace anticipated influx of foreign visitors.

The network can apparently serve to link up the kingdom's major sight-seeing spots in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, so as to provide more selectable travel routes for those curious about this colorful country.

"The re-opening of the airport is really good for our tourism," said Thong Khon, secretary of state at the Ministry of Tourism, adding that it is part of the ministry's strategy to connect Siem Reap and Sihanoukville by airlines to encourage tourists to extend their stay to enjoy the kingdom's sandy beaches after seeing the Angkor temples.

Upon the inauguration of the Sihanoukville International Airport, a former Soviet Union-made Antonov-24 propeller-driven aircraft from Siem Reap landed on the runway in its maiden flight with 11 passengers and four crew members on board.

Currently, flights by domestic airliner PMT have started to shuttle between Sihanoukville and Siem Reap around three times a week, while the beach city's connection with Phnom Penh, some 300 kilometers away, is yet worth of air travel and can be easily handled with automobiles at around three hours' drive on the national road.

Meanwhile, said Thong Khon, there is still another option for non-domestic travelers, who can first reach Sihanoukville by marine route and then transfer to Siem Reap by airlines and, of course, vice versa.

The Societe Concessionnaire des Aeroports (SCA), a French- Malaysian joint firm entrusted to run the hub, is now in talks with several other airliners about using the airport, whose runway will be extended from the current 1,800 meters to 2,200 meters with a further investment of 200 million U.S. dollars to accommodate jet flyers such as Boeing 737 by the end of 2007, said Norinda Khek, SCA's communications and marketing manager.

By then, international routes will also be opened, thus tapping the potential of Siem Reap's already established air links with countries such as South Korea, Thailand and China to expand foreign tourists' access to Cambodia, he said, adding that SCA, a subsidiary of France's biggest construction group Vinci, is licensed to operate the hub until 2040.

The Sihanoukville airport was closed in the early 1980s due to financial difficulties. Renovation by SCA started in June 2006 to preliminarily extend the terminal and the runway suitable for propeller-driven aircraft to land.

According to official statistics, some 280,000 tourists visited Sihanoukville in 2006, up by 30 percent over 2005. Among them 60, 000 were foreigners.

In addition, tourist arrivals in Cambodia jumped more than 20 percent to about 1.7 million in 2006, bringing in 1.4 billion U.S. dollars in revenue for the government.

Each visitor was estimated to have spent some 700 U.S. dollars in Cambodia, while 300,000 local people have found jobs in the industry, according to the Ministry of Tourism, which expects to receive 3 million foreign travelers in 2010.

Source: Xinhua