A Successful Businessman Speaks about Tourism Boats

By Soy Sophea

At around 9 am on a sunny Wednesday August 6 a young, bearded man is looking for clients along the Tonle Sap Riverside near the front of the Royal Palace. Every minute he keeps his eyes on bird. He is thin and attractive with an active patter, ready for any tourist who crosses his path. “Sir! You like boat with fresh air of Mekong.”

Nov Samoun, 26, who is a worker for Narin Tourism Boats, docked near the front of the Royal Palace, said that foreigners liked to travel by boat. Although his boss has a good connection with travel agencies he is still assigned to keep a lookout for foreigners and Cambodians who like to go sightseeing by boat. Samoun said he was there because some tourists need to rent well decorated boats. His boss’s name is Rin Narin.

To become a skillful boat tourism businessman, it took Rin Narin 18 years to gain the appropriate nautical experience. He opened his business in 2000 for local and international tourists in Phnom Penh. Narin realized how to run the tourism boat business when he started with two small boats, serving tourists and gaining recommendations and a reputation for good service.

Narin, 51, was born in Chong Koh village, Khsach Kandal district, Kandal province, where his father used to be a ferryman almost his entire life. He said that before starting the business he gained experience in navigation at Phnom Penh Port.

“It is not so easy to survive in a competitive business atmosphere,” he said. “I take a lot of risks and chances.”

However, Narin said that the 18 years of experience encouraged him to buy a small tourism boat in 2000 when he saw the Cambodian tourism potential. At that time, he remembered that less than one million tourists per year visited Cambodia. However at the same time, tourist agencies requested him to increase the number of his boats. He said that at least three tourist agencies booked his boats when he had only two tourism boats to serve them with.

Besides Narin’s boats, there are also 20 other tourism boats, owned by other five to six businessmen in competition with Narin. However Narin’s business is stronger compared to theirs.

Narin said he could earn up to US $1,000 per month with his four boats. In eight years, he has so far gained assets including four boats worth about US $110,000. According to the number of his boats he realizes that he is in strong business. He charges US $20 to $40 per hour and US $80 to $200 depending on the boat that tourists choose for traveling.


Sock Somphose, an NGO employee, who used to rent Marin’s boat, said it was well prepared and decorated.

Somphose, who has many years of experience as a guide, said that the price of Narin’s boat is affordable and he offers clients new places along the Mekong River to enjoy such as fruit plantations and handicraft sites.

However, he urged Narin to increase the number of boats to meet the demands of millions of tourists visiting Cambodian in the near future. “I think the more boats he has the more profit he will make.”

Thong Khon, minister with the Ministry of Tourism, expects to receive 2 million arrivals by 2010, compared to 2007, when Cambodia welcomed 1.2 million visitors.

Narin said that he could profit from his boats. He said that he had never thought that his business would require expansion.

But a year after a year, Narin has grown increasingly aware that being a boat businessman is a good money making career, whereas before he viewed the business as limited, given the number of tourists in Cambodia. “It is much easier compared to other careers. For instance, the rising price of gasoline does not make me worried because I can pass the increase on to the customer,” he said.

His boats always dock along the Tanle Sap River in front of the Royal Palace where foreigners can spot him easily.

He said that his boats mostly serve foreigners who want to relax and enjoy the fresh air along Mekong, Bassac and Tonle Sap rivers.

“They also enjoy handicrafts at Khmer villages and fruit plantations at Koh Dach,” Narin said. “Some tourists wanted to see for themselves the four rivers merging across from the Royal Palace.”