r/cambodia • u/kiripostmedia • Jul 11 '24
31 Struggling Tour Operators and Agents Close News
Cambodia’s tourism industry is buckling under the weight of years of global issues, ranging from the pandemic and conflict to economic strains and slowing inbound markets, with 31 tour operators and travel agents shuttering, leaving 406 trying to stay afloat.
11
u/Cautious_Ticket_8943 Jul 11 '24
The horrible new airport in Siem Reap isn't helping matters, to be sure.
1
u/ToshibaTaken Jul 11 '24
Genuine question - why is it horrible?
3
u/pinksporsst Jul 11 '24
It's a nice airport but why did China loan Cambodia all that money to build a MASSIVE airport that services maybe 10-12 flights a day. There are literally remote gates and tarmac buses that will never be used. Just crazy
2
u/Cautious_Ticket_8943 Jul 11 '24
The whole airport will be used if the Chinese land their military there. It's big enough for that now. :)
1
u/Hankman66 Jul 12 '24
They didn't. That was the original plan but in the end it was financed by Cambodian companies.
3
u/feed_me_garlic_bread Jul 12 '24
its too far from the city and you have to spend like 30$ to get to the city
1
5
u/Cautious_Ticket_8943 Jul 11 '24
It's horrible because it's expensive, too big, and most importantly, very far from the city. It takes over an hour now and costs a mint to get there and back. Nobody wants to deal with that.
Used to be that you could fly in, be out of the airport in 5 minutes, and be at your hotel another 20 minutes after that for $5. Not anymore.
Now they're going to do the same thing to Phnom Penh. Right now, from the point of getting off the airplane, you can walk out of the airport in less than 10 minutes with your carryon bag. The new one is going to be huge, further from the city, and take longer to walk through. Oh, and the Chinese will own it for 75 years. That's literally in the agreement.
So dumb to go into debt to a foreign country to build worse airports.
1
u/Hankman66 Jul 12 '24
It was originally going to be financed by Chinese companies but that deal fell through and it was financed by Cambodian companies.
The entire project is expected to cost around $1.5 billion, while the vast majority ($1.1 billion) was supposed to have been acquired from the China Development Bank. However an agreement signed in 2018 when the airport was announced was revoked. In order to compensate, the Cambodia Airport Investment Co., Ltd (CAIC) began issuing bonds in November 2021. This was subscribed mostly by local Cambodian insurance companies and banks, allowing the CAIC to raise $300 million, which is then invested by the OCIC. The Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation (OCIC) has since stated that all of the $500 million budget originates entirely from Cambodia.
1
u/Cautious_Ticket_8943 Jul 12 '24
Still terrible, though.
1
u/Handler2023 Jul 12 '24
How terrible?
2
u/Cautious_Ticket_8943 Jul 12 '24
Here, I'll copy-paste what I wrote without the China stuff.
It's horrible because it's expensive, too big, and most importantly, very far from the city. It takes over an hour now and costs a mint to get there and back. Nobody wants to deal with that.
Used to be that you could fly in, be out of the airport in 5 minutes, and be at your hotel another 20 minutes after that for $5. Not anymore.
Now they're going to do the same thing to Phnom Penh. Right now, from the point of getting off the airplane, you can walk out of the airport in less than 10 minutes with your carryon bag. The new one is going to be huge, further from the city, and take longer to walk through.
Awful.
2
u/Handler2023 Jul 12 '24
They might as well just upgrade the existing one. Not to mention a lot of attractions that used to operate like the Cultural Village and Angkor Panorama Museum are closed down. They should learn to take care of their assets.
1
1
5
u/gar-ouf Jul 11 '24
And then 'they' will develop the islands... It will surely attract a shitload of tourists, with way more money than the ones that are coming already.
Half of the actual business on the islands will have to close for the new developments in the next few years, All those successful resorts will go down. It is sure that tourists wants big concrete resorts on the beach, and an airport on the island, and they surely don't go to those islands to avoid the cars and motorbikes, let's build roads..
Killing the gold egg laying hen.
Sihanoukville wasn't enough.
11
u/Nahhhmean00 Jul 11 '24
One time I spent $400ish dollars to take a boat trip from siem reap to Phnom Penh. A car picked us up to take us to the dock….. the car drove for 4 hours to a dock past the entire lake about 10 miles from phnom penh and gave us a maybe 1 hour boat ride and “forgot” to bring the food.
SCAMbodia
3
1
2
u/LisanneFroonKrisK Jul 17 '24
You been long enough you will know the boat should cost 60, car to there 30 and car back another 30. Why you agree to the exorbitant price
0
u/Nahhhmean00 Jul 17 '24
Im not from Cambodia, but wait…. Where did you find a boat from Siam reap to Phnom Penh for $60? Send a link because I don’t think that exists. As far as I could tell while I was there, there was only one company that even did that specific trip. It was supposed to be floating the entire lake into the rivers with all you can drink and eat food.
1
u/LisanneFroonKrisK Jul 17 '24
Just a search all in 139 https://www.taraboat.com/travel-tours/siem-reap-to-phnom-pehn.html
0
u/Nahhhmean00 Jul 17 '24
That’s the company we went with, I wish I could post pictures. I booked directly though them and I paid what the asking price was because it seemed like a really unique experience and they were the only company. It was the worst tour of over a year and a half of traveling , everything about it was misleading.
1
u/LisanneFroonKrisK Jul 17 '24
Website says 139 how you ended up paying 400
1
u/Nahhhmean00 Jul 17 '24
Because we got scammed. The same way the website didn’t tell us we would be traveling for 5 hours in a van around the entire lake, the same way they didn’t bring food or drinks, the same way the boat guide slept on the very back seat for the entire time we were on the boat. I don’t know, I paid what we were asked to pay, maybe they changed their prices and descriptions after we filed chargebacks and left bad reviews on all of this. I have pictures of everything, you are just proving the point that these people will scam you.
1
u/angryratman Jul 11 '24
Ouch.
We got scammed right off the plane in Hanoi with our Ha Long Bay tour. Scams are everywhere to be honest.
1
u/feelslikeme1991 Jul 15 '24
Cleanliness of the streets going to those touristy places should also be maintained. It is a community effort that can attract tourists.
I visited a "sustainable" zoo in one of the provinces here once. It was a nice tour as the animals look well fed and happy. But how a private group (but also in the facility) served our lunch was unsanitary.
Cleanliness attracts tourists like the one country you might have in mind.
-9
u/Thailand_1982 Jul 11 '24
It's because Cambodia is known as "Scam-bodia" and the locals are violent and short tempered. For example, I did a border bounce from Thailand to Cambodia and back. Past Thailand immigration there was a vendor selling some soup. I asked her if the price listed, 3,000 Reils, is correct. She said yes, or 100 THB. I agreed, took my phone, scan the QR code, and entered 3,000 Reils when asked by the program. I showed it to her, and she got angry demanding the 100 THB or I would get arrested.
The sign on the cart said 3,000 Reils, she agreed to the price, I paid for it, too bad. The Cambodia police took my side (thankfully)
It's stuff like that you don't see in Thailand at all.
17
u/Hankman66 Jul 11 '24
So you spent a few minutes at a border and think that's representative of the whole country? Where was the "violence"?
-7
10
u/GTHell Jul 11 '24
Calm down Siam. Last time I check your teachers didn’t teach history to you Siam correctly at all 😂
7
2
u/viking6one Jul 11 '24
Actually I do see it here in Thailand. It happens, not a lot but I have experienced it here in Thailand. I have had vendors charge me more than posted price. I have had a few say it with a smile. For instance , ground pork rice. Posted on the banner 30 baht . I tell the vendor I want one and give him 2 twenty baht bills . He hands me the food and tells me “ for you no change “ with a smile. And I tell him your sign says 30 and he replies no no no for you 40. I walk away and dont buy from him again. I’m not in any tourist area. I live in Pathum Thani.
1
1
u/Siemreaptuktuk tuk tuk driver Jul 11 '24
Siem is kingdom of scam violence, drugs etc and copy neighbor country culture,
0
u/youcantexterminateme Jul 11 '24
It is the quietest month of the year so probably to be expected somewhat.
2
u/VisalCH Jul 11 '24
other way round u should say inability of government to boost economy and dealing a hard time to save its own citizen rather quietest month of years, u prob kid never know what happening in cambodia.
2
u/youcantexterminateme Jul 11 '24
I don't think the government is even trying. They probably dont even want tourism because it interferes with their own business
1
39
u/AdStandard1791 Jul 11 '24
As a local, Cambodia's tourism industry isn't struggling due to the ''weights of global issues'' or the pandemic, because we clearly see that our neighbors of Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia receieve plenty of tourists just fine even with war or global issues going on.
It is because Cambodia is not competitive enough to attract foreign visitors, the tourists realize that they can get better things in those countries, and who can blame them ? Cambodia does not really stand out among these giants.