Sea Festival fails seafood vendors
Droves of seafood sellers descended on the normally sleepy Kep province this past weekend, attempting to capitalise on a tourism festival set up to drive dollars to Cambodia’s coastal areas. But overcrowding and blocked roads pushed prices down and kept customers away, according to vendors. … The festival is part of the government’s strategy to lure tourists to Cambodia’s beaches. But while thousands turned out this year, the profits didn’t. Newcomers travelling from other provinces fared no better than the local seafood haunts. … While the extra competition didn’t help, many sellers blamed the local authorities for blocking cars from the main thoroughfare by the market, which sits on a stretch of beach next to the Gulf of Thailand. Sam Chenda, director of the provincial tourism department, claimed that the Sea Festival attracted at least 150,000 visitors, 3,000 of whom were foreigners. …
Hor Kimsay
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/sea-festival-fails-seafood-vendors
