AsiaLIFE

Sihanoukville (Kompong Som) is undergoing a transformation. At the moment it is unclear how the rapid development will change Cambodia's most well-known seaside town. Will Sihanoukville become a resort town like Koh Samui with people bussed in on a three-stop tour of Cambodia? Or will Cambodia's beach town become the next haven for backpackers like Koh Chang, or even another Pattaya? The future remains to be seen. Words by Charis Shafer.

Talk to business people in Sihanoukville and the conversation includes rumours of naval bases, speculation about various countries vying over offshore oil reserves, or worries about being pushed out by large-scale developments. Whatever the future holds, one thing is for sure, Sihanoukville is on the move.

The formerly grand Independence Hotel, once reportedly an office for the Khmer Rouge, has now been refurbished to its former glory with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the sea. Sleepy Ochheuteal Beach now teems with tourists and locals. Many have different ideas about the future of Sihanoukville. The question remains about how it will develop and who will benefit from its swift expansion?

SIHANOUKVILLE - CITY OF CHANGE

Matt Holland is the manager of Reef Resort. He has been working in Sihanoukville for over two years. In that time he has seen a marked change. Whereas two years ago most tourists coming to the beach town were single men, today there are more families. Also, the numbers have increased. A lot more Europeans have been coming to the area. "It's becoming a much safer place to visit," he says. "I think there's some wonderful development going on and it's great for Sihanoukville." Matt is clear about the direction he wants the city to take. "I wouldn't want it to turn into something like Pattaya," he says. Instead, he would like to see a more family-oriented growth. "It's bringing in good business at the moment."

Erika Hilmersson has lived in Sihanoukville for six-and-a-half years. She agrees with Matt. "When I came there was nothing really," she says. She recalls the one paved road and only a handful of backpackers on Serendipity Beach. The pace of life was different as well. "No one was outside after eight or nine o'clock." There were certainly no groups from travel companies.

Shortly after arriving in 2001, Erika became involved with Starfish, an organisation that provides social services and assistance such as medical care, housing and micro-credit to locals. She now operates the associated Starfish bakery, internet café, and massage centre. After beginning her work Erika has found it difficult to leave.

Though she is cautious to endorse the speed of the development, she believes overall it is a good thing. "It's a positive change in many ways," she says. "Everyone has more money." But even this positive has a flipside. For those not used to having large sums of money, it can be a challenge to plan financially. "Many poor people are selling their land," she says. Often their newly found wealth is quickly spent.

THE TOWN - NEED FOR GREATER PLANNING

An absence of proper forethought is not just restricted to the poor, according to Matt. "There's a worrying lack of planning," he says. Sceptical about many of the developments, he says the town doesn't have the infrastructure to support them. One of his caveats about the rapid growth is the lack of consistency when it comes to very basic utilities like water and electricity. "The water supply has remained unchanged," he says. He remembers that in 2007 there were water shortages towards the end of the hot season. Electricity is equally precarious and there are frequent power cuts.

Although some municipal work is being done - the roads are being widened for example - much more work could be done to make the city more tourist-friendly. "They really do need to do catch up with these things," Matt says. Like Matt, Erika believes much could be done about improving basic services like electricity and water. The municipality has improved rubbish collection since she first came to the town. Perhaps improvements in other areas are not far behind.

She has seen a real improvement stemming from the increase in the number of domestic tourists. More and more of the emerging middle class is choosing Sihanoukville as their holiday destination. "Less people are in desperate situations," she says. This means that more amenities are available for expats living in town. "It's easier to live a normal life here."

THE SHORELINE - A CHANGING TIDE

This change is not without a price. The increasing number of tourists and the accompanying major developments have both positive and negative repercussions. "Certainly they are creating employment," says Matt. "They are responding to customer demand." Because the potential for growth is so large, he believes there is room for all. However, he feels that the relocation of vendors along Sihanoukville's numerous beaches was always only a matter of time. "The coast has always been a little ambiguous."

Candy of Eco-Sea Diving Centre has heard plenty about recent eviction orders on Otres Beach. The Cambodia Daily recently reported that an Israeli hotel and casino developer, Queenco Leisure International, is going to build on the land. The complex could include a water park, theme park and casino. "I can see it'd be a positive change because they'll take care of the beach on their own," she says.  Serendipity, one of the main backpacker beaches, has also been threatened periodically, as is Independence Beach. Despite being sensitive to the concerns of the community that will get pushed aside, she agrees with Matt that the beachfront's vendors generally knew the score. "They always knew the risk they were taking," she says.

However this risk has a human face. Kom Lean has been a vendor on Independence Beach for many years. She recently received a notice that she must leave her shop and home on the beach. The authorities told her she had until the next day to clear out. She is unsure about her future employment prospects. "We don't know now where we'll go." She is most worried for her children. "All my children are small and I have no money now to send them to school," she explains. The Cambodia Daily reported that the vendors at this beach, have willingly agreed to sell their property for either US$2,000 or US$5,000. Yun Te, another vendor in the area, says, with the rise in property prices, this is not enough to even buy another home.

THE RESORTS - NEW TYPE OF TOURIST

Erica is positive about large complexes like Sokha Beach. They bring in a new kind of tourist, one willing to pay higher prices. Groups are now coming from her native Sweden. This kind of tourist demands larger resort complexes. These tourists might skip over Cambodia if places like Sokha Beach did not exist. "If they didn't have these facilities, they would not come," she says.

One of these resorts is the newly restored Independence Hotel. Linda Ly has marketed the historic hotel for seven months. She has seen significant growth in just the short period of time she has been in her position - the hotel was at full-occupancy during Chinese New Year. She can see both sides of the development issue. "Of course there will be advantages and disadvantages with large hotels," she says. "They can only serve high-end tourists." However, she is confident that not all the beaches in the area will be turned into private beaches.

Certainly the number of tourists coming to Cambodia's premier resort town is rising. Seng Kha, vice-director of Sihanoukville's tourism office, proudly displays his statistics about tourist arrivals in Cambodia. They are definitely on the rise. "Now Cambodia is better," he says. "More people travel," he adds, referring to the increase in domestic tourists. Sihanoukville's main selling points are the islands, its bio-diversity and the weather, according to him. He hopes to see the expansion of the airport and the port as well as the rail station. For him tourism is one key way of reducing poverty.

THE ISLANDS - GREEN TOURISM

The development of huge resorts and evictions of local traders is not the only way forwards. The future could be green. Nikolay Doroshenko is the owner of the Snake House Restaurant. The Russian has lived in Cambodia for fifteen years, most of this time in Sihanoukville. He was drawn to Cambodia for the flora and fauna of the islands, evidenced by the many large pieces of coral, a wide variety of snakes, an aquarium the size of a small swimming pool and an alligator on a chain in a small pool in his restaurant. He is unequivocal about the cause of the destruction of the environment in the region. "The main factor is man," he says.

In order to protect the environment the government must play an active role. "If there's control from the government this would be best," he says. Unfortunately, the manpower is not there to protect the environment, according to him. "There are laws, but you cannot just have the law, you have to have enforcement." He acknowledges the challenge of striking a fine balance between protection of the environment and encouraging tourism. "It's very easy to say something bad about that," he says. "It's very hard to understand the problems."
 
His project concerns ecological preservation. He has bought an area of 150 metres around Nail Island. They do not allow even divers to explore there. It's more of an exclusive island," he says. He talks of other Russians who are making a large-scale investment on an island off Hawaii Beach, with a bridge to Snake Island. The bridge is for economic reasons. "It's easier to attract other investors to the project," he says.

Cambodia is unique in what it has to offer, according to Nikolay. "There are not so many resorts in ecologically clean countries like Cambodia with an interesting history and people." ikolay is not the only person investing in the myriad of islands off Sihanoukville's coastline. Rob Clark, who runs Coasters on Serendipity Beach, has secured a fifteen-year lease of Bamboo Island, with his business partners. "t's my paradise," he says. Rob runs tourists out on his boat regularly. The water can often be full of silt from land reclamation and the dynamite fishing that occurred in the past. Clear about the future of Sihanoukville, he believes it will be positive. "I can see it being a beautiful place - a fantastic place - in the future."

CAMBODIA - A NOVEL DESTINATION

For Alexis de Suremain, co-owner of Phnom Penh's Pavilion Hotel and Elsewhere, Sihanoukville's future also lies in the sand. When you look at what tourists are coming to see in Southeast Asia - it's the beaches," he says. Along with a trip to Angkor Wat, tour groups and tourists should be encouraged to visit the seaside. Because of the sheer numbers of tourists going through Angkor Wat, including a trip to the beach could cause a great spike in tourism. "It's massive," he says. "We're talking millions of dollars."

What is lacking are interesting seaside hotels, according to him. Many lack character. The beaches also often confront tourists with blatant poverty. Children ask tourists for money. This leads to visitors cutting their stay short or skipping the beach entirely.

Alexis feels that Cambodia should make the most of its one standout feature. Whereas other nations and destinations are more developed with better facilities and more experienced staff, Cambodia does have one thing that sets it apart - novelty. "It's the virginity and the fact that it's a new destination," he says. There is aura of mystery about the place, due to Cambodia's turbulent past. "It's a gold mine if they keep it like this," he says.

KOH RUNG - ECO-LODGE

He tries to conjure up a picture of a Cambodia that is protected. If there were decrees in certain areas that required strict environmental standards, like a restriction on generators and other polluters, it would attract worldwide attention, he claims. This would also allow companies to make money now. The current travel trend in the West is to go green. Tourists now ask questions about the environmental footprint of their trip or what kind of the care is taken for the local community. They may not have asked these questions five years ago, Alexis says.

Alexis is encouraging this kind of ecologically conscious growth through his business. Having acquired around 12 hectares on Koh Rung, he has ambitious plans for an eco-lodge. From solar water heating to solar lighting to a solar chimney, he is trying to make his project as sustainable as possible.

"If it works, it will be the first in Southeast Asia," he claims. He is hoping that others see the project and are inspired to try to replicate it. "We'd like to show it's feasible with little investment." He hopes those in charge will also take notice. "By using this kind of attraction, you can actually attract interest," he says. It could make the island and the area something that stands apart. He hopes it will make the Cambodian seaside a place of interest. "Cambodia desperately needs another destination."

REAM: UNTOUCHED WILDERNESS

Alexis is not the only developer trying to make the Cambodian seashore into something unique in the region. Arnaud Darc has a great passion for Ream. "It is one of the most beautiful parts of Cambodian coastline," he says. This area just south of the national park has mountains, a long coast and beaches. "It's untouched." He hopes to develop the area alongside the government. Right now, there are not even proper roads to reach the area. "We choose Ream because there's nothing there," he explains.

For him, Sihanoukville, like many other parts of the country, is an untapped source of wealth. "Investors are now discovering it," he explains. "I am very surprised how supportive the government is," he adds. Having lived in the area for fourteen years he considers Cambodia his home. He believes that a third location to attract tourists will benefit the local community.

In his Phnom Penh office he points out the area at the to the south western of Ream where his development will take place. He also delineates where Hong Kong, Chinese and Korean companies have also taken land. Ideally these will work together to develop a road to the area, he says. His company is currently preparing the site for a golf course. It plans to open resorts, villas, a golf course and small villages for those working in the new businesses. "We're looking at the social aspect as well," he says. These plans include building houses, schools, markets and a clinic for locals.

Wanting to preserve the natural beauty of the place, two plots of land will be left as wilderness including one close to the seashore. "We're concerned with preserving the natural beauty of the site," he says. To him the appeal of the area lies in its freshness. The beach has a raw appeal. "It's a new coastline that people do not know," he says. Like many destinations recently opened up, the first to come will be adventurers. This then paves the way for another kind of clientele, one interested in resorts.

Like most business people around Sihanoukville, Arnaud is generally positive about what the future holds. "I've been bringing investors to Ream," he says. "They always go back with a positive mind." Similarly, he realises that whatever the nature of the development around Sihanoukville, the process of change is inevitable. "It will happen," he says. "It is happening."