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Priority Industries
Due to its geographic location bordering Vietnam and connection to the Funan Techno Canal, Kampot Province is well-positioned to develop several priority sectors, including agro-processing, cultural tourism, cross-border processing and trade, and the construction materials industry. In addition, with its existing port conditions and topography, Kampot province has strong potential for the development of oil refinery and petrochemical.
Tourism
In the tourism sector, Kampot, one of Cambodia's four coastal provinces, distinguishes itself through its rich blend of cultural heritage, historical charm and natural beauty. Strategically located in the southwest, the province enjoys strong connectivity to major urban centers, including Phnom Penh, making it easily accessible for both domestic and international travelers. Kampot boasts a total of 41 officially identified tourist attractions, the majority of which are nestled along its scenic coastline and tranquil riverbanks. These are further enriched by lush natural tourism zones found on nearby islands and in the surrounding mountain ranges, offering a variety of eco-tourism and green tourism corridors that cater to nature lovers and adventure seekers alike.
Offering a unique blend of cultural charm and historical depth, this destination invites visitors to explore French colonial architecture, ancient temples, and world-renowned pepper plantations. Key attractions include Bokor Hill City, Phnom Chhnork and Kampong Trach caves. Visitors can immerse themselves in local traditions at riverside villages, explore traditional salt fields and wander through vibrant local markets for an authentic cultural experience amidst stunning natural beauty.
Cultural and
Heritage Tourism
Offering a unique blend of cultural charm and historical depth, this zone invites visitors to explore Kampot’s iconic landmarks and timeless traditions. Highlights include the French colonial architecture of Kampot town, the mysterious Phnom Chhnork cave temple, the sacred Kampong Trach caves, and the atmospheric ruins of Bokor Hill Station. Visitors can immerse themselves in local life by exploring traditional salt fields, engaging with riverside villages and strolling through vibrant local markets. With its rich cultural heritage and breathtaking scenery, this area offers an unforgettable journey for those seeking an authentic and meaningful travel experience.
Agro-Eco Tourism
Kampot is globally renowned for its high-quality pepper and rich agricultural traditions. In the Agro-Eco Tourism Zone, visitors can immerse themselves in the rhythms of rural life by touring pepper plantations, fruit orchards and organic farms. Guided experiences such as pepper tasting, farm-to-table meals, and community-based eco-village stays provide an authentic connection to the land and local people. This zone promotes sustainable farming practices while supporting local livelihoods, offering a meaningful and educational travel experience.
Mountain and
Adventure Tourism
For nature lovers and thrill-seekers, the Mountain and Adventure Zone centered around Bokor National Park, offers a dynamic range of activities. From forest treks and cycling trails to wildlife spotting and camping, this area invites visitors to reconnect with nature in an unspoiled environment. It also features eco-lodges, wellness retreats and meditation spaces that promote inner peace and environmental awareness. This is the perfect destination for travelers seeking soft adventure and mindful relaxation.
MICE and
Creative Hub Tourism
Kampot is emerging as a creative and inspiring venue for small-scale business tourism. The MICE and Creative Hub offers boutique conference spaces, artist studios, and co-working environments ideal for meetings, incentive trips, retreats and exhibitions. With its peaceful atmosphere and scenic surroundings, Kampot provides a refreshing alternative for professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives seeking both productivity and rejuvenation.
Agro-Processing and Agriculture
In the agriculture sector, Kampot Province has the potential to further develop primary processing of agricultural raw materials sourced from both Kep Province and within Kampot itself, such as pepper, salt and seafood. This initial processing can be integrated with high-level processing in Preah Sihanouk Province to form a high-value agro-industrial value chain aimed at serving domestic markets and exporting to international destinations.
Kampot Province is a rising agro-industrial hub, globally recognized by its GI-certified pepper and palm sugar. It offers high-value export products from premium spices and salt to tropical fruit and coconut products. With producers upgrading for premium markets and infrastructure improving, Kampot is uniquely positioned as a strategic gateway linking agricultural production to global export channels. Its blend of authenticity, product diversity, and investment-ready potential makes it ideal for value-added agro-processing ventures.
Spices and Herbs Products
Kampot is internationally recognized for its premium Kampot pepper, a product with Geographical Indication (GI) status and is increasingly exploring processing opportunities for other herbs and spices. Investments in drying, grinding and infusion technologies allow Kampot to move up the value chain. Establishing spice innovation centers and encouraging private sector investment in small-batch, high-value spice processing can further boost competitiveness. Government support is needed to expand export certification and traceability systems.
Fruit-Based Products
The province’s fertile soils and microclimate support abundant harvests of mangoes, durians, jackfruits and bananas, which are ideal for conversion into juices, dried snacks and jams.Investment in post-harvest handling, such as cold chain logistics, food safety labs and SME-friendly packaging technology is essential, will reduce spoilage and increase processing yields. Public-private partnerships can also help certify and brand Kampot’s tropical fruit products for export.
Unique Local Products
Kampot’s agro-processing sector is increasingly defined by its range of natural, artisanal products that appeal to health-conscious and premium markets. Coconut processing is expanding from traditional uses to include virgin coconut oil, coconut chips and bottled coconut water, aligned with the global demand for clean, plant-based products. Efforts to improve standardization and packaging can unlock premium retail and e-commerce channels for local producers. Kampot Province is a key producer of high-quality sea salt, including the rare, hand-harvested “flower of salt” prized by gourmet chefs worldwide. The province also has a growing artisanal sea sauce (fish sauce) industry, using traditional fermentation with Kampot sea salt to create flavorful products with strong local and export potential. With focused investment in branding, quality control, and small-scale processing, Kampot’s specialty products are well-positioned to boost rural incomes and compete in global markets.
Export-Oriented Manufacturing
Kampot Province is steadily developing into a specialized manufacturing hub, anchored by the Kampot Special Economic Zone and the Kampot Port Area. The province is known for its strong base in construction materials particularly cement and brick, supported by abundant natural mineral resources. Kampot’s cement industry plays a pivotal role in meeting national demand, positioning it as a key contributor to Cambodia’s construction supply chain. Other prominent sectors include sea salt manufacturing and agro-products processing. While industrial activity is growing, continued investment in urban infrastructure, healthcare, and amenities will be essential to support and sustain Kampot’s long-term industrial expansion.
Mining and Metals
Kampot holds long standing industrial potential in mining and metal-related manufacturing, particularly in cement, limestone and other construction inputs. With its abundant mineral resources especially limestone for cement and building materials, the province already hosts several active operations and offers room for additional downstream investment. Opportunities exist in producing clinker, construction-grade aggregates, and prefabricated materials for regional infrastructure and housing projects. To ensure sustainable growth, future investment in this sector should align with environmental safeguards and national green building policies. The strategic location and availability of raw materials position Kampot as a key contributor to Cambodia’s domestic construction supply chain and cross-border trade.
Kampot is emerging as an attractive location for garment and textile manufacturing, particularly for small- to medium-scale operations seeking lower land and labor costs outside traditional hubs. Its proximity to Sihanoukville and regional ports allows for efficient access to imported materials and export logistics, while ongoing infrastructure improvements are making industrial zones more accessible. The availability of trainable labor and access to low-cost utilities supports the establishment of cut-make-trim (CMT) factories, as well as potential forward integration into fashion-oriented or eco-textile segments. With the right investment incentives and compliance support, Kampot could complement national efforts to diversify garment production zones and reduce pressure on congested SEZs.
Food and Beverage
The food and beverage processing sector is at the forefront of Kampot’s manufacturing growth, driven by the province’s strong agricultural base and global reputation for premium products such as Kampot pepper, sea salt and tropical fruits. Investors can tap into niche, high-value export opportunities, including organic spices, ready-to-eat snacks and bottled beverages tailored for regional and European markets. There is strong potential to build integrated supply chains with local farmers and cooperatives, supported by initiatives for food safety certification and export facilitation. With expanding cold chain logistics and increasing access to sustainable energy, Kampot is well-positioned to become a leading agri-food processing hub among Cambodia coastal provinces.
Rubber-Related
Kampot’s significant rubber plantations and growing harvest volumes create a natural foundation for rubber-based manufacturing industries. The province offers opportunities to scale up local value addition in products such as rubber sheets, tires, footwear soles, gloves and automotive components. As global buyers increasingly look for diversified and sustainable sourcing locations, Cambodia’s GSP access to markets like the EU offers a competitive edge for rubber-based exports. Strategic investment in processing facilities and industry-specific training programs could enable Kampot to move up the rubber value chain, while leveraging synergies with other provinces along the southern corridor.
Energy and Petrochemical
Kampot Province offers a compelling opportunity for investors in green energy and downstream petrochemical logistics. With Bokor Mountain identified as one of Cambodia’s top wind power sites, and abundant solar potential across its lowlands, Kampot is well-positioned to supply clean energy to coastal industrial zones and emerging ports. The planned deep-sea port enhances its role as a future hub for bonded fuel storage and cross-border energy distribution, leveraging its proximity to Sihanoukville and Vietnam. Additionally, the province’s cement industry and agricultural base open up prospects for waste-to-energy and biomass power solutions. For investors seeking a strategic location with renewable potential and logistics value, Kampot offers a unique platform within Cambodia coastal growth corridor.
Petroleum and Fuel Storage Logistics
While Kampot does not yet host major oil refining or petrochemical operations, its proximity to Sihanoukville and the Vietnam border gives it strategic potential as a secondary fuel storage and distribution hub. Given its planned deep-sea port expansion, Kampot could accommodate bonded fuel tanks or logistics facilities to serve both the construction sector and cross-border transport corridors. This would support regional energy security and industrial growth while relieving pressure on more congested nodes in Preah Sihanouk.
Kampot holds significant potential for renewable energy development, particularly in solar and wind. The province’s flat, sun-drenched lowlands make it suitable for utility-scale solar farms and rooftop installations, especially in industrial zones and along the growing peri-urban belt. In addition, Bokor Mountain, with its elevated terrain and exposure to coastal wind flows, has been identified as one of Cambodia’s most promising sites for wind energy generation. Preliminary assessments suggest that the mountain’s ridge zones could support wind farms capable of supplying clean electricity to both Kampot and the wider coastal grid. If developed, wind power on Bokor could become a flagship renewable project, helping diversify Cambodia’s energy mix and powering future low-carbon industrial development in the province.
Waste-to-Power Solutions
The combination of cement production, urban expansion and agricultural hinterlands makes Kampot a candidate for circular energy models. For example, waste-derived fuels (RDF) could be co-processed in cement kilns, while rice husk or coconut shell biomass from surrounding rural areas could feed into small-scale bioenergy solutions. These approaches offer a dual benefit, reducing landfill pressure and supporting industrial decarbonization.
Cross-Border Processing and Trade
Kampot Province, benefiting from its strategic location near the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, has the potential to develop cross-border processing and trade with a focus on agricultural products. Kampot Province will facilitate cross-border trade by expanding the scale of processing trade and mutual market trade. Furthermore, the province will establish cooperation with Vietnam in terms of the processing and supply chain through developing cross-border industrial parks and comprehensive bonded zones following the concept of “Two Countries, Twin Parks”.
Ha Tien City in Vietnam, which is adjacent to Kampot Province, is the prior trade partner with its international border gate economic zone dominated by tourism development. Apart from potential cooperation in cross-border tourism, Kampot Province and Ha Tien City can explore further collaboration through promoting trade, etc.
Construction Materials
The existing cement factories can provide Kampot Province with a solid foundation for the production of construction materials. Currently, there are 5 cement processing factories operating in Kampot Province with a total investment capital of around 814 million USD. The primary focus is to meet domestic demand so as to contribute to the construction sector and socio-economic development. With the further development of the coastal provinces, the demand for construction projects is expected to increase significantly in the future. The integrated development presents an opportunity for Kampot Province to emerge as a key supplier of construction materials among the coastal provinces.
In the event that supply exceeds demand in the future, Kampot Province can pivot towards producing construction materials with higher value, such as precast concrete blocks and prefabricated concrete, with excess materials being transported to other areas or even exported with lower shipment cost.
