Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)
Showing posts with label Sokha Hotel Group. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sokha Hotel Group. Show all posts
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The King of Angkor [-or more appropriately: The "KONG" of Angkor"?]
Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Two more concessions for the Vietnamese Sokha Hotel Group
18 Feb 2009By Kang Kallyan
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French
The Sokha Hotel Group, whose CEO is also the chairman of the Sokimex oil company, has obtained from the government the approval for two concession contracts: one for the development of the Bokor national park, and the second one for the development of the Kirirom national park.
The official signing of the contract took place this morning, on 18 Feb, during the groundbreaking inauguration of the construction site for a 5-star hotel at the top of Bokor. The Sokha Hotel Group, just as it was engaged to do last year, had already undertaken the renovation of the road leading to the top of the mountain. Villas, restaurants and casinos will see the daylight soon with a total investment amounting to several billions of dollars.
The history of the Bokor park goes all the way back to the French protectorate era. Created in 1922, it became a popular tourist resort for people who came here for the casino gambling. After the war, it was destroyed and the site was completely abandoned while the infrastructures were left in ruin.
The official signing of the contract took place this morning, on 18 Feb, during the groundbreaking inauguration of the construction site for a 5-star hotel at the top of Bokor. The Sokha Hotel Group, just as it was engaged to do last year, had already undertaken the renovation of the road leading to the top of the mountain. Villas, restaurants and casinos will see the daylight soon with a total investment amounting to several billions of dollars.
The history of the Bokor park goes all the way back to the French protectorate era. Created in 1922, it became a popular tourist resort for people who came here for the casino gambling. After the war, it was destroyed and the site was completely abandoned while the infrastructures were left in ruin.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Angkor revenue down; critics cite corruption
Sok Kong, President of SokimexThursday, 29 January 2009
Written by May Kunmakara
The Phnom Penh Post
Governmental body responsible for temples say revenue dropped to $30 million in 2008, blaming downturn amid accusations of corruption
ANGKOR Wat ticket sales dropped almost 10 percent in 2008, said Bun Narith, deputy director of Apsara Authority, the government institute that handles revenue from the attraction, blaming a tourism downturn despite criticism that figures have been manipulated due to corruption.
Revenue from ticket sales dropped to about US$30 million last year from roughly $32 million in 2007, he added. However, uncertainty surrounds the data given that Apsara and tycoon Sok Kong's Sokimex, which owns Sokha Hotels - the organisations that receive revenue from Angkor Wat - have refused to release detailed, concrete figures, critics say.
Explaining the situation, Bun Narith told the Post: "I have not received the exact figures from the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Sokimex," he said, refusing to provide details on their revenue-sharing agreement. Sok Kong was unavailable Tuesday, his assistant Seng Chanthy said, adding that the person responsible for Angkor Wat ticketing was "on holiday".
Khmer-language daily Koh Santepheap reported on January 13 that the first $3 million in Angkor Wat revenue is split 50-50 between Sokimex and Apsara. Of additional revenue, 15 percent goes to restoration and development at Angkor, 68 percent to Apsara's operating costs and 17 percent to Sokimex.
Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Yim Sovann raised doubts about the figures. "The drop is caused by corruption," he said. "There is no transparency. The number of tourists increased, but ticket revenue dropped," he added, arguing that most tourists to Cambodia visit Angkor Wat and therefore increased numbers would surely lead to higher revenue at the temples.
Independent tourism analyst Moeung Son also doubted the numbers: "Thong Khon, the minister of tourism, changed his mind ... about the revenue decline in 2008. He used to say that the number of tourists increased 5.48 percent this year [in 2008] which is equal to 2.12 million tourists [in total], even though the actual figure did not match ministry expectations."
In April 1999, the government gave Sokimex a 10-year concession on revenue from Angkor Wat ticket sales as part of an agreement to cooperate with Apsara Authority. Critics say it is time the government ended the monopoly, with Yim Sovann suggesting that tourist figures pointed to total revenue closer to $60 million per year.
"If the government conducted a fair and public bidding process ... we would earn more revenue from this, but the government always solely approves Sokimex Company. That is corruption," he said, citing Sokimex ties to the CPP.
Moeung Son agreed there should be an open tender process: "The government has to give private companies an opportunity to bid for the concession for Angkor Wat," he said.
ANGKOR Wat ticket sales dropped almost 10 percent in 2008, said Bun Narith, deputy director of Apsara Authority, the government institute that handles revenue from the attraction, blaming a tourism downturn despite criticism that figures have been manipulated due to corruption.
Revenue from ticket sales dropped to about US$30 million last year from roughly $32 million in 2007, he added. However, uncertainty surrounds the data given that Apsara and tycoon Sok Kong's Sokimex, which owns Sokha Hotels - the organisations that receive revenue from Angkor Wat - have refused to release detailed, concrete figures, critics say.
Explaining the situation, Bun Narith told the Post: "I have not received the exact figures from the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Sokimex," he said, refusing to provide details on their revenue-sharing agreement. Sok Kong was unavailable Tuesday, his assistant Seng Chanthy said, adding that the person responsible for Angkor Wat ticketing was "on holiday".
Khmer-language daily Koh Santepheap reported on January 13 that the first $3 million in Angkor Wat revenue is split 50-50 between Sokimex and Apsara. Of additional revenue, 15 percent goes to restoration and development at Angkor, 68 percent to Apsara's operating costs and 17 percent to Sokimex.
Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Yim Sovann raised doubts about the figures. "The drop is caused by corruption," he said. "There is no transparency. The number of tourists increased, but ticket revenue dropped," he added, arguing that most tourists to Cambodia visit Angkor Wat and therefore increased numbers would surely lead to higher revenue at the temples.
Independent tourism analyst Moeung Son also doubted the numbers: "Thong Khon, the minister of tourism, changed his mind ... about the revenue decline in 2008. He used to say that the number of tourists increased 5.48 percent this year [in 2008] which is equal to 2.12 million tourists [in total], even though the actual figure did not match ministry expectations."
In April 1999, the government gave Sokimex a 10-year concession on revenue from Angkor Wat ticket sales as part of an agreement to cooperate with Apsara Authority. Critics say it is time the government ended the monopoly, with Yim Sovann suggesting that tourist figures pointed to total revenue closer to $60 million per year.
"If the government conducted a fair and public bidding process ... we would earn more revenue from this, but the government always solely approves Sokimex Company. That is corruption," he said, citing Sokimex ties to the CPP.
Moeung Son agreed there should be an open tender process: "The government has to give private companies an opportunity to bid for the concession for Angkor Wat," he said.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tourist number increases, but revenue from Angkor Wat visit ticket sales drops, what gives?
Sok KongRevenue from ticket sales for Angkor Wat temple complex lower than 2007 – Tourist sector upheaval
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Koh Santepheap newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Siem Reap – Officials from the Apsara authority indicated that revenue from the 2008 sale of tickets to visit the Angkor temple complex amounts to $30 to $31 million, i.e. a small drop from 2007.
Bun Narith, deputy director of the Apsara authority, told Koh Santepheap over the phone, on 13 January: “We are not publishing the actual ticket sale revenue number yet, we are only providing an approximate number which amounts to $30 to $31 million, there is a slight drop as compared to 2007 where the revenue was $32 million.”
Bun Narith indicated that the official number will be announced only after the ministries of Tourist and Economy agree with each other. The ministry of Tourist tallies the number of Khmer and foreign visitors, the Apsara authority tallies the number of visitors who bought tickets to visit Angkor Wat only, some of the (foreign) visitors did not even pay for their tickets because they were guests of the government.”
It should be noted that the ticket sales right was granted to the Sokha Hotel Company, owned by Oknha Sok Kong [a close friend and crony of Hun Sen], through a government concession contract concluded on 17 June 2005 by the ministry of Economy and Finance, the CDC and the Apsara authority.
Bun Narith indicated that foreign visitors must either buy a $20 ticket for a one-day visit, a $40 ticket for a 3-day visit, or a $60 ticket for a one-week visit. Following the subtraction of the sales tax, revenue from the ticket sales is divided between Sok Kong’s Sokha Hotel Co. and the Apsara authority as follows: the first $3 million revenue is shared 50%-50% between Sokha Hotel and the Apsara authority. For the remainder of the revenue, 15% goes to a development chest for the Angkor area, 68% goes to the Apsara authority, and 17% is kept by Sokha Hotel Co. The Apsara authority portion of the revenue goes directly to the state coffer.
The ministry of Tourist and the ministry of Economy and Finance, which is in charge of expert review on the ticket sales revenue, did not provide any comment or official statement yet. Nevertheless, Thong Khon, the minister of Tourist, recently stated that the total number of tourists visiting Cambodia in 2008 increase by 5.48%, this is translated into 2.12 million tourists, i.e. there is no drop in the number of tourists, even though the percentage of tourist increase is lower than expected.
The tourism sector is one of among the three top priority sectors for the development of Cambodia: the garment sector, the construction sector and the tourism sector.
Furthermore, Sdeung Sokhon, the under-secretary of state of the ministry of Tourist, used to say that revenue from the tourist sector is continually growing because in 2007, the number of tourists rose to 2 million. Studies indicated that, in the average, tourists visiting Cambodia spend $700, excluding the price of their airfare, therefore the average spending for the 2 million visitors to Cambodia would amount to more than $1.4 billion. Tourist revenues are distributed to visa revenue, hotel taxes, food, souvenir items and other miscellaneous items, as well as cost of purchase of tickets for visiting Angkor temples. Some of the tourist revenue benefits directly the population. Sdeung Sokhom made this statement during an interview on RFA. He added also that, based on his personal estimate, tourist revenue benefit private individuals more than the state.
However, economic observers said that out of all the tourist revenue, 30% flows right back out to import products from overseas, such as produce, meats, etc… Observers added also that a number of restaurant and hotel owners refuse to buy local produce, claiming that local produce is of lower quality.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Koh Santepheap newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Siem Reap – Officials from the Apsara authority indicated that revenue from the 2008 sale of tickets to visit the Angkor temple complex amounts to $30 to $31 million, i.e. a small drop from 2007.
Bun Narith, deputy director of the Apsara authority, told Koh Santepheap over the phone, on 13 January: “We are not publishing the actual ticket sale revenue number yet, we are only providing an approximate number which amounts to $30 to $31 million, there is a slight drop as compared to 2007 where the revenue was $32 million.”
Bun Narith indicated that the official number will be announced only after the ministries of Tourist and Economy agree with each other. The ministry of Tourist tallies the number of Khmer and foreign visitors, the Apsara authority tallies the number of visitors who bought tickets to visit Angkor Wat only, some of the (foreign) visitors did not even pay for their tickets because they were guests of the government.”
It should be noted that the ticket sales right was granted to the Sokha Hotel Company, owned by Oknha Sok Kong [a close friend and crony of Hun Sen], through a government concession contract concluded on 17 June 2005 by the ministry of Economy and Finance, the CDC and the Apsara authority.
Bun Narith indicated that foreign visitors must either buy a $20 ticket for a one-day visit, a $40 ticket for a 3-day visit, or a $60 ticket for a one-week visit. Following the subtraction of the sales tax, revenue from the ticket sales is divided between Sok Kong’s Sokha Hotel Co. and the Apsara authority as follows: the first $3 million revenue is shared 50%-50% between Sokha Hotel and the Apsara authority. For the remainder of the revenue, 15% goes to a development chest for the Angkor area, 68% goes to the Apsara authority, and 17% is kept by Sokha Hotel Co. The Apsara authority portion of the revenue goes directly to the state coffer.
The ministry of Tourist and the ministry of Economy and Finance, which is in charge of expert review on the ticket sales revenue, did not provide any comment or official statement yet. Nevertheless, Thong Khon, the minister of Tourist, recently stated that the total number of tourists visiting Cambodia in 2008 increase by 5.48%, this is translated into 2.12 million tourists, i.e. there is no drop in the number of tourists, even though the percentage of tourist increase is lower than expected.
The tourism sector is one of among the three top priority sectors for the development of Cambodia: the garment sector, the construction sector and the tourism sector.
Furthermore, Sdeung Sokhon, the under-secretary of state of the ministry of Tourist, used to say that revenue from the tourist sector is continually growing because in 2007, the number of tourists rose to 2 million. Studies indicated that, in the average, tourists visiting Cambodia spend $700, excluding the price of their airfare, therefore the average spending for the 2 million visitors to Cambodia would amount to more than $1.4 billion. Tourist revenues are distributed to visa revenue, hotel taxes, food, souvenir items and other miscellaneous items, as well as cost of purchase of tickets for visiting Angkor temples. Some of the tourist revenue benefits directly the population. Sdeung Sokhom made this statement during an interview on RFA. He added also that, based on his personal estimate, tourist revenue benefit private individuals more than the state.
However, economic observers said that out of all the tourist revenue, 30% flows right back out to import products from overseas, such as produce, meats, etc… Observers added also that a number of restaurant and hotel owners refuse to buy local produce, claiming that local produce is of lower quality.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Arnold Palmer joins Cambodian golf boom
Jun 4, 2008
DPA
DPA
Phnom Penh - Golfing great Arnold Palmer confirmed his company will build a 36-hole golf course in Cambodia, an official from Cambodia's Sokha Hotels said Wednesday.
Arnold Palmer Design Company had been retained to build the course at the new 1-billion-dollar resort development by the Sokha group at the former French colonial Bokor Hill Station Resort, project manager Svay Vuthy said.
'This was the company's plan so we signed him. He is the best in the US and we want the best golf course in Cambodia,' Vuthy said.
'The plan is for the course to cover 200 hectares with 36 holes, but we will start by opening an 18-hole course so we can assess and observe the conditions. Construction is due to begin next year.'
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is perhaps the only world leader to list his golf scores on his personal website, and the Cambodian elite, as in most of Asia, is golf crazy.
There is even a Korean-managed public putting range in the centre of the Cambodian Senate's grounds.
Cambodia is also aggressively chasing the high-end tourist dollar, and golf courses have mushroomed across the country in the past five years as the country enjoys peace and economic stability.
Palmer, 78, is among the great golfers of all time, winning seven major championships during his career, which began in the 1950s, and being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
His successful design company has designed 300 golf courses to date, according to his website, and prides itself on being in tune with the environment - an attractive trait for Bokor, which lies in a national park, around 200 kilometres from the capital.
Vuthy did not disclose the total cost of the course.
Arnold Palmer Design Company had been retained to build the course at the new 1-billion-dollar resort development by the Sokha group at the former French colonial Bokor Hill Station Resort, project manager Svay Vuthy said.
'This was the company's plan so we signed him. He is the best in the US and we want the best golf course in Cambodia,' Vuthy said.
'The plan is for the course to cover 200 hectares with 36 holes, but we will start by opening an 18-hole course so we can assess and observe the conditions. Construction is due to begin next year.'
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is perhaps the only world leader to list his golf scores on his personal website, and the Cambodian elite, as in most of Asia, is golf crazy.
There is even a Korean-managed public putting range in the centre of the Cambodian Senate's grounds.
Cambodia is also aggressively chasing the high-end tourist dollar, and golf courses have mushroomed across the country in the past five years as the country enjoys peace and economic stability.
Palmer, 78, is among the great golfers of all time, winning seven major championships during his career, which began in the 1950s, and being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
His successful design company has designed 300 golf courses to date, according to his website, and prides itself on being in tune with the environment - an attractive trait for Bokor, which lies in a national park, around 200 kilometres from the capital.
Vuthy did not disclose the total cost of the course.
Golf course to be built on Bokor Mountain by Hun Sen’s crony
Sok KongEveryday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
The Sokha Hotel (owned by Sok Kong, one of Hun Sen’s cronies) signed an agreement with the Arnold Palmer Company to build a 36-hole golf course at the base of Bokor Mountain, as part of the Bokor Mountain recreational area development. The area was abandoned in the past. According to the information provided by Sokha Hotel on Tuesday, in its first step, an 18-hole golf course will be built on an area extending 45-hectare, and it will be completed in 2010, after which a second construction phase will start. The golf course is part of $1 billion, 15-year plan by the Sokha Hotel to renovate the hotel and casino originally built during the colonial period, and was later abandoned. The plan also includes the building of motels, entertainment park, and modern market, the Sokha Hoteal information indicated also.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Revenues from Entrance Fees to Angkor Wat [...went Missing in Corruption?]
Clockwise from Top Left: Hun Sen, SRP MP Son Chhay, So Moura, Minister of Tourism Thong Khon, Sok Kong owner of Sokha Hotel Group (Photo: Sralanh Khmer newspaper)By Mao Sotheany
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer to English by Khmerization
Mr Son Chhay, who is a member of parliament and chairman of the parliamentary committee from the Sam Rainsy Party has, on Tuesday, reacted in response to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s letter which stated that the revenues collected by the Sokha Hotel Group from the sales of tickets to tourists who come to visit Angkor Wat have been properly audited and accounted for by the Ministry of Finance and the National Audit Authority.
Mr Son Chhay indicated that annually the State Treasury had lost approximately $US30 million of the $US60 collected from the sales of the tickets to tourists who visit Angkor Wat. He said that the numbers of tourists visited Cambodia in 2007 were 2 million, not 1 million as stated by the prime minister. Mr Son Chhay said: “The figures from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as from the Ministry of Tourism stated that the numbers of tourists visited Cambodia were as high as 2.4 million visitors. And the calculated numbers of tourists to Angkor Wat of 1 million visitors are the in correct figures. And secondly, the method which Oknha Sok Kong company collected the revenues from the tourists, in January I have personally visited the sales office on the spot, the staff there told me that there is a directive ordering them not to keep any receipts and documents related to the sales of the tickets in the computer data.”
Mr Son Chhay also claimed that, according to the information he obtained from his inquiry when he visited the ticket sales office, Kong Kong’s company has transferred approximately $US6 million per month from the proceeds of the ticket sales from Siem Reap to a bank account in Phnom Penh.
Mr Son Chhay said: “Furthermore we’ve received information that Sok Kong’s company has transferred not less than $US6 million per month of the revenues collected from the sales of the tickets to a bank account in Phnom Penh. In total, according to our calculations, considering that each ticket was sold for $US20, $US40 or $US60, the amounts released were not correct, if we take into account that the sales of $US60 accounted for less than 40% of the numbers of visitors. In total, I believe that the revenues collected from the sales of the tickets to Angkor Wat can be as high as $US60 million, not the $US30 as claimed by Sok Kong’s company.”
Even though the Prime Minister has written a letter to the parliament on the 3rd of March which stated that the numbers of tourists were only estimated at 1 million tourists a year, his speech on Wednesday in a meeting to review the works of the Ministry of Tourism stressed that the numbers of tourists were estimated at approximately the same as the statistics from the Ministry of Tourism in the website (http://www.mot.gov.kh/), which are the same figures as claimed by Mr Son Chhay.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said: “I applaud and value the arrivals of international tourists which estimated at 2 million in 2007 who have brought incomes estimated at about $1.4 billion to our nation, which is accounted to 10% of our Growth Domestic Product and have created 300,000 jobs for our people.”
The 5-year contract of concessions signed on 17th June 2005 between the government and the Sokha Hotel Group stated that the amount of up to $US3 million from the sales of the tickets to Angkor will be split 50% to the Apsara Authority and 50% for the Sokha Hotel Group.
And any amount above the $US3 million will be split as follow: 15% deposited in Angkor Development Fund and 85% will go to the Apsara Authority. In turn, this 85% of revenue will be split 80% to Apsara Authority and 20% to the Sokha Hotel Group.
Related Story:
http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2008/03/prime-minister-hun-sen-clarifies-about.html
Mr Son Chhay indicated that annually the State Treasury had lost approximately $US30 million of the $US60 collected from the sales of the tickets to tourists who visit Angkor Wat. He said that the numbers of tourists visited Cambodia in 2007 were 2 million, not 1 million as stated by the prime minister. Mr Son Chhay said: “The figures from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as from the Ministry of Tourism stated that the numbers of tourists visited Cambodia were as high as 2.4 million visitors. And the calculated numbers of tourists to Angkor Wat of 1 million visitors are the in correct figures. And secondly, the method which Oknha Sok Kong company collected the revenues from the tourists, in January I have personally visited the sales office on the spot, the staff there told me that there is a directive ordering them not to keep any receipts and documents related to the sales of the tickets in the computer data.”
Mr Son Chhay also claimed that, according to the information he obtained from his inquiry when he visited the ticket sales office, Kong Kong’s company has transferred approximately $US6 million per month from the proceeds of the ticket sales from Siem Reap to a bank account in Phnom Penh.
Mr Son Chhay said: “Furthermore we’ve received information that Sok Kong’s company has transferred not less than $US6 million per month of the revenues collected from the sales of the tickets to a bank account in Phnom Penh. In total, according to our calculations, considering that each ticket was sold for $US20, $US40 or $US60, the amounts released were not correct, if we take into account that the sales of $US60 accounted for less than 40% of the numbers of visitors. In total, I believe that the revenues collected from the sales of the tickets to Angkor Wat can be as high as $US60 million, not the $US30 as claimed by Sok Kong’s company.”
Even though the Prime Minister has written a letter to the parliament on the 3rd of March which stated that the numbers of tourists were only estimated at 1 million tourists a year, his speech on Wednesday in a meeting to review the works of the Ministry of Tourism stressed that the numbers of tourists were estimated at approximately the same as the statistics from the Ministry of Tourism in the website (http://www.mot.gov.kh/), which are the same figures as claimed by Mr Son Chhay.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said: “I applaud and value the arrivals of international tourists which estimated at 2 million in 2007 who have brought incomes estimated at about $1.4 billion to our nation, which is accounted to 10% of our Growth Domestic Product and have created 300,000 jobs for our people.”
The 5-year contract of concessions signed on 17th June 2005 between the government and the Sokha Hotel Group stated that the amount of up to $US3 million from the sales of the tickets to Angkor will be split 50% to the Apsara Authority and 50% for the Sokha Hotel Group.
And any amount above the $US3 million will be split as follow: 15% deposited in Angkor Development Fund and 85% will go to the Apsara Authority. In turn, this 85% of revenue will be split 80% to Apsara Authority and 20% to the Sokha Hotel Group.
Related Story:
http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2008/03/prime-minister-hun-sen-clarifies-about.html
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Sok Kong handed down the prime Cambodian beach of O'Chheuteal
Petroleum giant plans to develop prime Cambodian beach resortWed, 23 Jan 2008
DPA
Phnom Penh - An offshoot of the company in control of Cambodia's most powerful petroleum group, Sokimex, plans to develop a top-end resort on a beach in the coastal province of Sihanoukville, the area's deputy governor confirmed Wednesday. Sokha Hotel Group would construct a 1,000-room hotel and golf course over 54 hectares around O'Chheuteal beach, the largest and most popular of the municipality's pristine white sand beaches.
"This is a great boost for our economy. It will create employment and solve the crisis of hotel rooms we have every holiday season," deputy governor Sboang Sarath said by telephone.
With Sihanoukville expanding its port to attract the lucrative cruise ship tour industry and readying to reap expected oil reserves offshore from the municipality, 240 kilometres south-west of the capital, within two years, the once sleepy coastal town has scrambled to increase its top-end accommodation.
Currently Sihanoukville has just two 5-star hotels, including Sokha Beach Resort, also owned by Sokha Hotel Group, which also has a private beach and claims its bookings double every year.
Last Chinese New Year, an estimated 20,000 people flocked there, and many were forced to sleep on the beach because of room shortages.
The formerly impoverished Angolan capital Luanda has thrived since oil was discovered there and its tourist industry has boomed - a phenomenon Cambodia is hoping also follows its expected oil wealth.
Sokha Hotel Group has also announced plans for a 500-room hotel on a peninsular opposite the capital Phnom Penh and Prime Minister Hun Sen flew to another coastal province, Kampot, this week for the announcement of a 1-billion dollar plan by the group to develop the former French hill station resort of Bokor.
Sihanoukville's beaches have been compared to Thailand's famously beautiful beaches for their clear waters and fine white sand.
"This is a great boost for our economy. It will create employment and solve the crisis of hotel rooms we have every holiday season," deputy governor Sboang Sarath said by telephone.
With Sihanoukville expanding its port to attract the lucrative cruise ship tour industry and readying to reap expected oil reserves offshore from the municipality, 240 kilometres south-west of the capital, within two years, the once sleepy coastal town has scrambled to increase its top-end accommodation.
Currently Sihanoukville has just two 5-star hotels, including Sokha Beach Resort, also owned by Sokha Hotel Group, which also has a private beach and claims its bookings double every year.
Last Chinese New Year, an estimated 20,000 people flocked there, and many were forced to sleep on the beach because of room shortages.
The formerly impoverished Angolan capital Luanda has thrived since oil was discovered there and its tourist industry has boomed - a phenomenon Cambodia is hoping also follows its expected oil wealth.
Sokha Hotel Group has also announced plans for a 500-room hotel on a peninsular opposite the capital Phnom Penh and Prime Minister Hun Sen flew to another coastal province, Kampot, this week for the announcement of a 1-billion dollar plan by the group to develop the former French hill station resort of Bokor.
Sihanoukville's beaches have been compared to Thailand's famously beautiful beaches for their clear waters and fine white sand.
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