Cambodia announces phased reopening to vaccinated tourists

Phnom Penh, Oct. 27 (BNA): The Cambodian government on Tuesday announced plans to reopen the country in several stages to fully vaccinate foreign tourists starting at the end of next month.

The Tourism Ministry said that the program starting on November 30 will allow visitors who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus to skip quarantine if they stay at least five days in designated areas.

The first of these are two coastal provinces, Sihanoukville and Koh Kong, on the Gulf of Thailand.

Upon arrival, visitors must show proof of vaccination and take a rapid COVID-19 test. They can proceed without quarantine if the results are negative.

Siem Reap province, home to the famous Angkor temples, will be added to the list of quarantine-free provinces in January.

Other destinations will then be added if the program is judged successful, with the entire country opening up when the coronavirus is considered to be under control.

In 2019, before the pandemic, Cambodia received 6.6 million foreigners representing nearly $5 billion in revenue, most of whom visited Angkor and coastal destinations, according to the Tourism Ministry.

In 2020, the number of visitors fell sharply to 1.3 million, and their profits fell to about one billion dollars.

Cambodia recorded 112 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the lowest number since April, bringing the total since the pandemic began last year to 118,000.

MI