Sihanoukville town centre (left) and one of Sihanoukville beaches (bottom).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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.
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