Thoughts on Kampot

The time has come to describe the tourism phenomena taking place in Kampot.

Partly, I had already written about them, but I’m writing this as a reminder, because they have a direct impact on the behaviour of foreigners living here permanently, and consequently on our activities.

Kampot used to be a small, sleepy fishing village (with a magnificent river abundant in fish in its entire course). The town distinguished itself only by the colonial architecture that survived the hecatomb of the civil war.

In the 90s of the past century, the only tourists were penniless backpackers who felt great here.

In the meantime, Sihanoukville grew once again (it had been built by the colonalists - the French) into a big resort with an interesting tourist infrastructure. The ocean and beaches have been its biggest attraction.

Many white people had invested there a lot of money in restaurants, bars, small hotels, etc. They had been doing great. But only until the time ...

The Chinese came and turned Sihanoukville into an odd place of rich mafia: casinos, big hotels, cruise ships, etc.

The rental prices of business premises soared up and the Chinese people drove smaller businessmen out of the city. The city has lost its charm and character.

Many, many white restaurateurs left Sihanoukville. Where to?

To several towns, but mostly to Kampot!

And there are the consequences.

The rental prices of any real estate here have been being raised.

But this is not a problem for us. We have got a contract for three years.

Those who live permanently in Kampot have their favourite places, pubs and bars, where they go to regularly, because beer is cheap there, and football matches are non-stop on the TV screens.

But there is another factor affecting the number of Kampot tourists visiting. The city itself does not have much to offer besides a two-day tour of the surroundings, pepper plantations, fruit farms, etc.

Tourists in Kampot usually come in organized groups on their way from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville.

Those tourists do not explore the city and do not look for bars with a special atmosphere. They eat something quickly in the centre, make cheap purchases and hit the road again.

And probably there will be less and less of them, because interest in Sihanoukville as a desired destinattion decreases.

Who will pop in at "Chameleon"? Who will?

Although, we had known from the very beginning that such processes occur here and that, as in any business, there was a risk of investing.

But whoever does not take their chances, they will not know ...

Many people here, like us,  hope that the interest in Kampot itself will increase and its beauty will attract tourists for longer stays.

We also have to count on it.

We are optimistic and enjoy what we have done so far. We believe that we had made the right choice!