Tourists may be allowed to visit Angkor Wat

PHNOM PENH: Foreign tourists with proof of Covid-19 vaccination may be allowed to visit the Angkor Wat temple complex in Siem Reap as the Cambodian government plans to ease its quarantine policy.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon said this could possibly happen in the fourth quarter of the year.

He said Prime Minister Hun Sen had given him the green light to start discussions with the Health Ministry’s Ad-hoc Commission for Covid-19 Vaccination, other relevant ministries and institutions, provincial administrations and the private sector to study the feasibility of the proposal.

According to a Phnom Penh Post report, Thong said the country was ramping up its vaccination drive for civil servants, the tourism community and other sectors, and that the management at the temple complex was a top priority.

On April 1, Hun Sen had formally approved a 2021-2025 three-phased national tourism roadmap and a 2021-2035 Siem Reap provincial tourism development masterplan to help the country recover from the pandemic economic slump.

Cambodia Association of Travel Agents president Chhay Sivlin said the proposal, if carried out, could speed up the recovery of the tourism industry.

She told the Post that the move and overall return of foreign tourists would not only bring back incomes and jobs to the sector, but would also be a testament to Cambodia’s success in managing the pandemic.

With the tourism industry in a long-term lull, she called on the government to announce the easing of travel restrictions as early as possible, to give time for the private sector to prepare.

Chhay said the Cambodian tourism sector will need at least another five years to rebound and enjoy 2019-levels of international visitors.

However, Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia chapter chairman Thourn Sinan said any relaxing of quarantine measures must be accompanied by a clear set of conditions that limit the transmission of Covid-19.

“To ensure success and gain the trust of all stakeholders, the Tourism Ministry must work with the Health Ministry and establish a code of conduct for tourists in the Siem Reap-Angkor area,” he said.

Khmer Angkor Tour Guide Association president Khieu Thy said that while a reopening of the Siem Reap tourism sector was what industrial players wanted, inoculations must continue in the province to earn the trust of tourists.

Tourism Ministry statistics showed that Cambodia received 1.3 million foreign visitors last year, down more than 80 per cent from 6.6 million in 2019.

However, with Covid-19 cases increasing in the country, prospects for a quick recovery this year has been dampened.

Khieu said due to this concern, the return of foreign visitors to Cambodia may take a long time.