08 Sep Cambodia lauded by UN for safe reboot of domestic tourism

The tourism industry has had a suboptimal year to say the least, with travel restrictions across the globe crippling its ability to generate revenue. But holiday plans may not have to be put on hold for too long, especially if one is travelling within Cambodia. The Southeast Asian nation has been commended by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) for putting in place effective measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic while resuming its domestic tourism. In a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen, UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili lauded the fact that Cambodia restarted its domestic tourism in a controlled manner, putting in place all the necessary safety and hygiene protocols as well as the requisite guidelines at tourist sites.

Cambodia recently celebrated a ‘replacement Khmer New Year holiday’, which marked the reboot of tourism in the country. According to a Ministry of Tourism report, there were 1.45 million people travelling during the rescheduled holiday from August 17-21. Of these, 14,000 were foreign tourists. The report also added that domestic tourists spent more than US$ 100 million during the five-day holiday. Cambodia has done a very good job in curbing the spread of COVID-19 thus far. Amongst its population of over 16 million people, only 274 cases have been confirmed till date, with zero deaths having been recorded. Though the country’s tourism sector may not be able to bounce back completely in the near future, the Government’s prudence in handling the current situation will bode well for Cambodia in a post COVID-19 world.