| As the holiday season blooms Sihanoukville has | | | | this beach resort city would take off years ago, |
| become a mad house. Hotels and guesthouses are | | | | but with little support from the government, and |
| mostly full and we are still a week away from the | | | | the repeated missed deadlines for the opening of |
| main vacation holiday rush that is sure to come. | | | | the airport, it never quite hit its stride. Also slated, |
| For the big western holidays, Christmas and New | | | | but now cancelled, was a golf course complex, |
| Years, many of the NGO & expatiate | | | | which many felt in conjunction with the airport, |
| community in Phnom Penh will come to the beach | | | | would bring lots of well healed tourists to |
| to enjoy sun and sand with their families and | | | | Sihanoukville. Another avenue for tourists to |
| friends. Many Cambodians from the growing | | | | come to the city is from cruise ships, which do |
| middle class of Cambodia come to the beach on a | | | | come, but the people off the cruise ships are |
| regular basis as well, further inflating the holiday | | | | being shunted off to only a couple of venues, or |
| madness. | | | | even bussed and flown out of Phnom Penh to |
| Sihanoukville is fast becoming a main Asia tourist | | | | Siem Reap for an overnight trip to Angkor Wat, |
| destination with a transition from the backpackers | | | | so their impact is for all intents and purposes is nil |
| , flash packers and flesh packers to more travel | | | | for the people that live and work in Sihanoukville. |
| groups, and main stream self directed tourists. | | | | Even the local guides that service the ships are |
| With the airport scheduled to open soon, more | | | | brought in from Phnom Penh. |
| and more visitors will come to Cambodia and to | | | | Next year an additional burden will be put on the |
| Sihanoukville for the cheap prices, and the | | | | housing and infrastructure as the oil companies |
| atmosphere that you use to find in Thailand 30 | | | | start gearing up for full scale production. |
| years ago | | | | Sihanoukville is the only deep water port in |
| The promise of next year seems to have finally | | | | Cambodia, so by default it will be the center for |
| arrived here in Sihanoukville, as many thought that | | | | the oil industries efforts here in Cambodia. |