Five-star hotel opening in Phnom Penh takes on added importance for industry battered by Covid-19, with thousands of Cambodian tourism jobs lost
- The 247-room Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh opens its doors in January and will be the Cambodian capital’s largest international five-star hotel
- It will provide more than 300 desperately needed jobs in the hospitality industry, and raise the country’s international profile
When officials gathered for the Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh hotel’s groundbreaking ceremony in March 2017, Cambodia was in the midst of a tourism boom. Visitors from across the globe spilled out of the galleries, boutiques, bars and restaurants that dot the leafy central street the property sits on as the country set its sights on attracting seven million tourists a year by 2020.
Fast forward to today and the scene is very different. Since tourism visas were suspended in mid-March, to help stem the tide of the coronavirus, no tourists have entered the country.
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A Ministry of Tourism report notes that almost 51,000 jobs were lost from the once-thriving sector between March and October. A further 2,838 tourism-related businesses have been closed or had their operations suspended.
However, none of this has deterred the Hyatt Regency from forging ahead with the opening of what will be the capital’s largest international five-star hotel, which will eventually provide more than 300 desperately needed jobs.
The onset of the global pandemic has pushed back its plans, but the 247-room hotel is slated to open its doors in January. At a time when international travel has virtually ground to a halt and economies around the world have shrunk, just getting this far has come with unique challenges.
