The hill station of Bokor, on the plateau carrying the same name, used to be a fancy French hill resort station in Cambodia. Years of war and now overdevelopment are turning Bokor into a mass destination for Asians.
BOKOR- It is a hill shrudded in mystery, due to the frequent clouds which erases during hours trees and buildings, like a grey coat thrown on a shiny dress. Bokor National Park has something mythical for Cambodians. Developed in 1912 by the former French colonial administration, Bokor became rapidly a fancy hill resort retreat for the white and the wealthy ones, including Cambodia’s royal family. In the early sixties, former Prince Sihanouk built a villa and dependences facing the former Palace hotel and Casino, opened in 1917. Bokor National Park is located on the Southern Coast, a few kilometer away from the two cities of Kampot and Sihanoukville.
Abandoned during decades following the devastating war in Cambodia, Bokor became a airy destination with the ruins of old French building lost in the mist and the jungle. Until the government decided to give a development concession to the Sokha Group in 2008 for the development of a 14,000 hectares of plantation, real estate and tourism complex.
Looking at a model of Bokor in the resor’s show room, Sokha development has more to do with Genting Resort in Malaysia – an integrated holiday facility including Souhteast Asia largest hotel- than with a national park.
The masterplan foresees three to four huge hotel complexes surrounded by villas, private apartments, casinos, sport facilities, a shopping center and a golf course.
The first part of the future Bokor complex is already opened to the public including a beautiful 33 km route offering spectacular views on both the mountain and the valley.
On the top of the hill, Thansur Bokor Highland Resort is a 3 to 4 star hotel complex offering 418 rooms and suites, 3 restaurants and bars, a casino, a spa, a conference centre as well as a kid’s club. The complex is huge, exults little charm but is already very popular. “We mostly target Asian travellers, especially local Cambodians, Vietnamese from nearby Phu Quoc Province but also some Chinese groups. This is true that we still have difficulties to attract Europeans. We work now to refit some of the rooms to provide a more appealing product for European travellers”, explains Anna Paksyaykina, Assistant Sales Manager, Leisure Travel for Thansur Bokor Highland Resort.
Mrs. Paksyanykina indicates the need for Europeans to be in a quieter area for example. “We are looking also to build up full spa facilities as well as in the longer term a five star hotel which would certainly turn very attractive to Western travellers”, she adds.
The old Bokor Palace Hotel is now being restored to its former glory. Works are still going on now for its complete renovation. First thought to be turned into a museum, Sokha Group now thinks that the property could be turned into a boutique deluxe five-star hotel. The former villa of Prince Sihanouk would also be restored and become part of the deluxe property.
Although Bokor Mountain still offers beautiful sceneries with its deep jungle with scenic trails being organized, the current high pace of development is likely to take its toll on the wild natural beauty of the area. Would Cambodia be able to merge together its genuine charm with its development goals? This is a delicate balance to achieve.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
