The Phnom Penh Post
Written by Kay Kimsong and Cat Barton
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
American golfing legend Arnold Palmer has confirmed his company is designing two 18-hole golf courses for the Sokha Hotel group's $1 billion makeover of the decaying, French-colonial-era Bokor Mountain resort.
"From the preliminary design stages to course opening will be two years – this is a fast track project, [Sokha Group] would like to move forward quickly," John Hamilton, vice president of Arnold Palmer Design Company, told the Post on June 9.
The aim is to create a "world class golf experience" amid the jungles of Bokor Mountain, preserving as much as possible the topography and minimizing environmental impact to the area, Hamilton said.
The courses will be Cambodia's fifth and sixth sets of luxury links, and will sit at the foot of Bokor Mountain, in Kampot province.
The Kingdom is keen to take advantage of the golf mania that has recently swept Southeast Asia, which has been cashing in on a worldwide golf tourism boom that last year was valued at $20 billion.
About 50 million golfers are estimated to roam the world on an annual odyssey to find new, relatively undiscovered greens, and Cambodia looks set to capture a good chunk of this market over the coming decade.
Sokha Hotels are a key player in Cambodia's booming tourism industry. The Bokor Mountain redevelopment is the group's most ambitious project to date. The project will seek to transform the crumbling, fog-swept ruins at the mountain's top into a modern luxury tourist resort.
The group is also inaugurating construction of a 500-room hotel on the Chroy Changva peninsula in Phnom Penh in July this year.
"Tourism is the number one priority sector for the future and a major sector for investment," Sok Kong, founder and owner of Sokimex, Sokha Group's parent company, told the Post in an interview on June 9.
"The company's focus is shifting to tourism, and we have already signed an agreement on the design of the golf course on Bokor Mountain," Sok Kong said.
Palmer, 78, is one of golf's legends. He has won seven major championships over the course of his career, which began in the 1950s.
He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. His design company has crafted 300 golf courses to date, according to the company’s website. The company prides itself on being in tune with the environment, Hamilton said.
Written by Kay Kimsong and Cat Barton
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
American golfing legend Arnold Palmer has confirmed his company is designing two 18-hole golf courses for the Sokha Hotel group's $1 billion makeover of the decaying, French-colonial-era Bokor Mountain resort.
"From the preliminary design stages to course opening will be two years – this is a fast track project, [Sokha Group] would like to move forward quickly," John Hamilton, vice president of Arnold Palmer Design Company, told the Post on June 9.
The aim is to create a "world class golf experience" amid the jungles of Bokor Mountain, preserving as much as possible the topography and minimizing environmental impact to the area, Hamilton said.
The courses will be Cambodia's fifth and sixth sets of luxury links, and will sit at the foot of Bokor Mountain, in Kampot province.
The Kingdom is keen to take advantage of the golf mania that has recently swept Southeast Asia, which has been cashing in on a worldwide golf tourism boom that last year was valued at $20 billion.
About 50 million golfers are estimated to roam the world on an annual odyssey to find new, relatively undiscovered greens, and Cambodia looks set to capture a good chunk of this market over the coming decade.
Sokha Hotels are a key player in Cambodia's booming tourism industry. The Bokor Mountain redevelopment is the group's most ambitious project to date. The project will seek to transform the crumbling, fog-swept ruins at the mountain's top into a modern luxury tourist resort.
The group is also inaugurating construction of a 500-room hotel on the Chroy Changva peninsula in Phnom Penh in July this year.
"Tourism is the number one priority sector for the future and a major sector for investment," Sok Kong, founder and owner of Sokimex, Sokha Group's parent company, told the Post in an interview on June 9.
"The company's focus is shifting to tourism, and we have already signed an agreement on the design of the golf course on Bokor Mountain," Sok Kong said.
Palmer, 78, is one of golf's legends. He has won seven major championships over the course of his career, which began in the 1950s.
He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. His design company has crafted 300 golf courses to date, according to the company’s website. The company prides itself on being in tune with the environment, Hamilton said.
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