The number of golf courses in Cambodia went from two to four in
2007 and should double again to eight by 2010 with four more
courses in various stages of planning, English-Khmer language
newspaper the Cambodian Daily said on Thursday.
The two to open most recently in Siem Reap province are the
country's only PGA-rated courses, and they are playing off each
other to bolster the kingdom's golf industry, said the paper.
"We are a growing destination, and golf is the fastest growing
sport in all of Asia," said Maximilian Kaendler, clubhouse manager
at the Phokeethra Country Club in Siem Reap.
About 500 golfers visited the club each month since it opened in
April and it hosted the country's first major international golfing
event in November.
Meanwhile for the Angkor Golf Resort which opened in November in
the province, 1,000 visitors were received in its first month.
"The more we see businesspeople come, the more we see golfers
come as well," Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh told the
newspaper.
However, said the paper, the Cambodia's golf industry still
faces hurdles, as current customers are usually local businessmen
and government officials, and few travelers wander onto the courses
while visiting the region.
Cham Prasidh said that a demand for golf will arise as long as
foreign entrepreneurs continue to invest in Cambodia.
"It is a sport where you develop friendship very fast, which is
good for business as well," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2008)
