In light of widespread criticism of the rapidly rising accommodation rates in Preah Sihanouk, the provincial authority has established a task force to collect room rental information to determine a reasonable price for guesthouses and hotels.

The provincial authority on Wednesday said the task force will conduct a survey of room rates at hotels, guesthouses, bungalows and resorts in the province from November 28 to December 31.

“Our team will collect the data and submit it to the governor to determine the next steps,” said Saroeun, the provincial hall spokesman, who headed the task force.

He said the team will first start by collecting data from hotels and guesthouses as they are mostly frequented by tourists.

Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said a lack of hotels and guesthouses due to the rapidly increasing number of tourists is to blame for rising room rates.

“In 2019, we will have an additional 2,500 hotel rooms and we will also have more hotels in 2020. Therefore, from next year onwards, we won’t have to worry about a lack of accommodation again,” he said.