Luxury hotel developer Song Saa Resorts has unveiled a plan to transform 400 hectares of land in the Banteay Srei district of Siem Reap province into an eco-tourism resort with an initial investment of $3 million, according to a release on the Ministry of Environment’s Facebook page yesterday.

Environment Minister Say Sam Al, who visited the development site on Saturday, said in the release that the company’s project had performed well on its environmental impact assessment. He also advised the company to work closely with relevant authorities to hasten the development of the project while protecting natural resources.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, said yesterday that she hopes the development will help to diversify destinations in the province.

“More tourism options will attract people to come and stay longer, which will benefit people in the area,” she said, adding that tourism in Siem Reap is too heavily reliant on tourists only interested in visiting Angkor Wat.