LAS VEGAS >> The Malaysian group that said it would begin construction last year on a $4 billion Asian-themed casino-resort on the Las Vegas Strip will break ground on the long dormant site May 5.

A spokesman for Resorts World being developed by Genting Group confirmed the groundbreaking Tuesday and said delays were due to finalizing a design that would endure on the Strip.

Genting Group bought the 88-acre site for $350 million in 2013 from Boyd Gaming after it halted construction on its partially-built Echelon casino-hotel five year prior amid the economic downturn. Genting had said then it planned to open in 2016.

Spokesman Michael Levoff says the first phase is now expected to open in late 2017.

Plans for Resorts World have included a few thousand rooms and a panda habitat.