CLARK, Pampanga. – The Bases Development and Conversion Authority (BCDA) and Korean hotel and gaming company Widus Group have finalized the lease agreement for the development of the P12-billion Hann Lux luxury mountain resort here.
The agreement between the two entities on October 25 paves the way for the further expansion here of the Widus Group, developer of the Widus Hotel and Casino and Clark Marriott Hotel.
The new development spans 450 hectares in New Clark City and will be home to several luxury hotels, upscale residential condominium projects, and three championship golf courses.
The groundbreaking is expected to start by the end of the first quarter or the start of the second quarter of 2020.
Daesik Han, chairman and chief executive officer of Widus Group, said the company is focused on expanding its portfolio in the area noting New Clark City is expected to become the new economic hub in Central and Northern Luzon.
“The growth of the domestic economy is very robust. Furthermore, there are only a few luxury resorts near the capital. The only way for people to enjoy and pamper themselves with this luxury experience is for them to fly out to El Nido, Boracay, and the likes. I believe that there is a market, but nobody has tried it. With the completion of the Clark International Airport, foreign guests can touch down and be at the new luxury resort in 10 minutes,” Han said.
Widus Group director Neki Liwanag said the development will employ 2,000 to 3,000 people during this construction phase and this number can go up to 5,000, depending on the pace of construction.
Liwanag added another 500 people will be directly hired once the resort operates.
Han said majority of the workforce for the construction phase will be locals. “There will be some people from Manila due to their technical expertise but most of the workers will be coming from Pampanga, Zambales and Tarlac,” he said.
“Clark is fast becoming one of the top destinations in Northern Luzon for both tourists and investors. We hope to attract more with the development of a new leisure resort in New Clark City, one that is in keeping with the vision of BCDA,” Han said.
Vivencio Dizon, BCDA president and chief executive officer, said the project is the latest in the list of investments in the area.
“The airport is going to open next year, the world-class sports facilities are already open and ready to be used, the industrial park, which will serve as the job generator in New Clark City will begin in 2021 and then you have these tourism developments, the latest of which is this Widus project together with Accor,” Dizon said.
