Tourist promotion article on Kep, Cambodia, from Australia. May 2018

- AT KEP’S crab market, an elderly woman catches my eye and waves a plastic bag of tiny, still-wriggling octopus in my direction.
Wander through the market and you’ll find locals hunched over market stalls, tending to smoking, fish-filled grills with one hand while rotating squid-speared skewers with the other. Much of the food sold here is very much alive and kicking, but if you prefer something a little less so, head to the restaurants next to the market, where a huge pile of crab cakes will set you back just a few dollars.

In recent years, the coastal province of Kep has been thrust into the spotlight, thanks largely to the number of five-star hotels springing up.
https://www.news.com.au/travel/world-tr ... ba4ad7e3e2

Long read:

A Scottish University Helping to Banish the Ghosts of Kep
November 11, 2018
LINA opened her restaurant two weeks ago in a fishing village in Kep, in the south of Cambodia, close to the Vietnamese border. Fifty years ago this coastal resort was known as Cambodia’s Cote d’Azure, and when you wander around in the back of a tuk-tuk you can’t help but notice the wide avenues and walled gardens.

These villas once hosted extravagant cocktail parties with stars such as Jackie Kennedy and Catherine Deneuve on the guest list. There were casinos and a zoo.

But Kep has changed: the walled gardens have overgrown and the Le Corbusier–inspired mansions that once looked out over the Gulf of Thailand are in ruins, pockmarked with bullet holes and blackened by mildew and mould.

Lina’s restaurant is an old fisherman’s shack. I asked why she didn’t restore one of the hundred or so old villas. She looked at me blankly. “Because I don’t like ghosts,” she said.

This was no trivial remark. When Lina returned to Kep from Vietnam at the age of eight, Kep was a ghost town. Vietnamese deserters had eaten the animals in the zoo and the Khmer Rouge had torched everything – and everyone – that emitted the merest whiff of decadence or intellectualism. There is no greater illustration of the ruthless tyranny of ideology over humanity. “When I came back here,” Lina recalled, “Those houses were filled with corpses. I don’t want anything to do with them.”

It’s a sentiment that is shared by the residents of Kep, this strange relic of a town, coming back to life despite the horrors of the past.
Full article: https://www.thenational.scot/news/17214 ... reativity/

(Phnom Penh): The Ministry of Tourism on April 22, 2019, announced that the Royal Government of Cambodia had decided that the Ministry of Tourism would conduct a study on the coastal development of Kep province, one of Cambodia's top tourist destinations, in order to attract more tourists to Cambodia.

The Minister said that the Royal Government's decision was made at the meeting of the Economic and Financial Policy Committee, held on April 18, 2019 presided over by HE Dr. Aun Porn Moniroth, Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Economy and Finance.

He said that Kep province was to be developed into a high-end tourist destination, with no casinos or factory zones. He also said that the Ministry encourages secondary residences in Kep for older or retired tourists who wish to stay longterm in the kingdom.

Although Kep is a small province, it has a potential for tourism, with the sea air quality, Koh Tonsay, crab market, and in the near future there may be another small international tourist port.

Best foot forward: Hiking in the forests of Kep National Park
Raksmey Hong | Publication date 18 December 2019 | 23:46 ICT
Most tourists usually visit Kep province to stuff themselves with crabs, frolic on the shores of the beach and laze in the sun. But the Kingdom’s smallest province has one more gem to offer – the lush mountain ranges and tranquil atmosphere of the Kep National Park.

Unbeknownst to many, the Kep National Park, located behind the Veranda Natural Resort, offers an off-the-beaten track that’s waiting to be explored.

Established in 1993, the park covers an area of 66.65sq km and an 8km mountain trail circuit that’s easily travelled by foot, motorbike or mountain bike.

“Most of the local tourists are students who wish to see the great outdoors, away from all the stress in school. Foreign tourists come here irregularly.

“Sometimes, we see 30 people a day. Sometimes, no one comes. If it’s the rainy season, we usually won’t have any guests,” says a park ranger.

Wide enough to allow cars to pass through, the inclined trail around the mountain offers the ideal path for cycling, motorbike-riding and trekking. Signs had been put up to guide the riders and hikers.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/travel/be ... ional-park