ASEANews HEADLINES: PHNOM PENH, Cambodia- Foreign traveler arrivals to Cambodia down 91.3 pct in H1 due to COVID-19, tourism may reopen in December

Cambodia received 102,560 international visitors during the first six months of 2021, a decrease of 91.3 percent from 1.18 million over the same period last year, said a tourism ministry’s report released on Wednesday.

 

Thailand, China and Vietnam were the largest sources of foreign travelers to the kingdom during the January-June period this year, the report said.

It added that some 52,290 Thais, 29,751 Chinese and 6,956 Vietnamese came to Cambodia during the first half of this year, down 67.5 percent, 89 percent and 96 percent, respectively over the same period last year.

Currently, there are 18 airlines flying in and out of Cambodia, the report said, adding that 1,089 flights to Cambodia were recorded during the first six months of this year, down 89.5 percent year-on-year.

Tourism ministry’s secretary of state and spokesman Top Sopheak said the significant decline in the number of foreign visitors was due to the COVID-19 pandemic that had forced the kingdom to suspend tourist visas to all foreign citizens since March last year.

“We hope that Cambodia will be able to reopen its door to vaccinated tourists by the end of this year after the country has achieved herd immunity,” he told Xinhua.

The Southeast Asian nation is targeting to vaccinate 12 million people, or 75 percent, of its 16 million population by November.

As of Aug. 10, the country has inoculated 8.39 million people, or 52.48 percent, of the total population, according to the health ministry.