The People's Committee of the central province of Ninh Thuan has approved in principle for the Hong Kong-based Polo Beach International Limited Co to develop a 4.5 billion USD tourism complex in the locality, the provincial official website revealed.

The investor plans to build the Mui Dinh complex on the total area of 800ha in Phuoc Dinh Commune, Thuan Nam District. The complex will comprise a tourism urban area, hi-end resort, tourism and trade centres.

Previously, Polo Beach had proposed a similar project in the central province of Binh Thuan, said Binh Thuan's Department of Planning and Investment director Luong Van Hai.

Though receiving an in principle approval from the local authorities, the project, however, failed to get the final approval from the Prime Minister due to some problems relating to surveying the titanium reserve in the province, Hai said.

Other domestic and foreign investors have met similar problems in Binh Thuan.

Hai petitioned the Government to speed up the surveying process, a move to encourage more investors to pump investment capital in tourism, one of the province's important sector./.