Koh Kong intends to develop the coastline islands of the province
As the number of visitors increases and businesses continue to express interest in investing extensively in the islands, Koh Kong provincial officials are accumulating precise data on the province’s 23 islands to support their growth.
On November 25, provincial deputy governor Ouk Pheaktra presided over a meeting with officials from various ministries and units in the province to create a report with extensive data on the islands of Koh Kong.
He outlined some follow-up plans for each officer and unit, including assigning workers to check and gather data for each island, such as doing up-to-date geographical surveys and collecting photographs and videos to promote tourism and attract investors.
He directed the province Department of Land Management, Urban Planning, Construction, and Cadastral Affairs to guarantee that the authorities responsible for island border demarcations are equipped with DGPS.
Pheaktra stated that the precise itinerary for each island will be established later.
On November 28, Heang Bonna, office head of the provincial cadastral affairs department, stated that the team would meet with key officials again to select who will travel to the islands and gather the necessary data.
"At the moment, there is interest in Pineapple Island and Koh Smach, and investment firms are looking at other islands." "As long as the islands are large enough, certain investment companies, such as Koh Kong Krao, would be interested in them."
Koh Kong Krao is an island in the Gulf of Thailand in Cambodia’s coastal waters, about 10 kilometers south of Koh Kong town in Koh Kong province. It is the biggest island in Cambodia.
According to early statistics, Koh Sdach is the only one of the province’s 23 islands where the government has issued a license to a private investment business.
"Most of the 23 islands have population regions." Unlike Koh Sdach, which is thickly inhabited, they generally have just a few populous districts with numerous households. "However, there is potential for them to become tourist sites."
He stated that if investors wish to create enterprises on the islands, they must rent the property from the government and follow the arbitration or mediation laws when interacting with island people.
Bonna stated that the islands must be organized since provincial officials saw that when the government declared the country’s reopening, many visitors traveled to see the islands in Koh Kong province. The province’s building and land industries operated normally both before and after the Covid-19 outbreak.
Ho Vandy, co-chair of the Tourism Public-Private Sector Working Group, said the master plan was well-prepared to attract both local and foreign tourists.
"In this situation, we develop a clear master plan and statistics, and offering information to the public, visitors, and individuals who earn a livelihood in the sector has brought a lot of advantages to their communities."
