SIHANOUKVILLE – Preah Sihanouk provincial authority has acknowledged the higher prices of goods and services compared to the other provinces, saying the province is a mix-nationalities area with a gross domestic product per capita of more than $4,000.

The national GDP per capita is about $2,700.

“We found that in Sihanoukville, both goods and some services are very expensive compared to the capital and provinces,” provincial Deputy Governor Long Dimanche said.

He said the number of tourists in the province had increased since the expressway opened but acknowledged that domestic tourists contributed little to the sector.

They tend to spend only one day in the province and return to Phnom Penh in the evening.

Long Dimanche said nationals such as Chinese, Thais, Indonesians, Vietnamese and some Europeans live and work in the province, which contributes to the increased prices of goods and services.

Provincial authorities are seeking solutions for national and international tourists, requiring the involvement of all relevant parties, particularly the private sector, he said.

The coastal province attracts an average of $50 per day from a national tourist and $100 per day from an international visitor.

“The economic trend in Sihanoukville province is reaching a certain level due to increased spending on goods and services,” he said. “Cambodia is a free-market country, over which we have little control.”