How is the coronavirus scare affecting tourism in Siem Reap and Angkor?

 

I live in Chiang Mai and was thinking if the pressure is off (at least temporarily) this might be a last chance to see the place again without the hoards. 

Not many people here, many restaurants have only a few customers.

Went to see Angkor Wat last week, it was kind of busy but not too much. Do not want to imagine how it looked like before with all the Chinese tourists. I think it is a great time to visit.

Definitely the right time now to visit SiemReap and the Angkor Wat complex.

I was there 3 weeks ago, and the most famous temples were jam-packed with chinese tour-bus tourists, the chinese selfie-craze and high-volume shouting conversations somewhat ruining the experience there.

Luckily, the Angkor Wat complex is so huge, that I did choose the next days to visit some lesser known ones (and which turned out to be equally or even more amazing than the better known ones).

As approx 2/3 of visitors at the temples were chinese, it will for sure be very quiet now, so go for it.

Yes and it is soooo nice in Chiang Mai without all the Chinese now too. Hate to say it but the virus is a blessing in one way.

So you guys were there when there WERE Chinese hoards...what about currently? 

5 hours ago, cerox said:

Not many people here, many restaurants have only a few customers.

Went to see Angkor Wat last week, it was kind of busy but not too much. Do not want to imagine how it looked like before with all the Chinese tourists. I think it is a great time to visit.

I visited Angkor several months ago before the Corona Virus was known. And it was empty then. Even the mid-range hotel I stayed in was almost empty. Angkor Wat had much fewer people visiting.

4 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

Yes and it is soooo nice in Chiang Mai without all the Chinese now too. Hate to say it but the virus is a blessing in one way.

You dont hate to say it at all, you are just being passive aggressive.

I moved to Siem Reap just 5 days ago. Pleasantly very quiet with no Chinese tourist parties "following the flag". Plenty of Western, Australasian, Korean and Japanese tourists but no Chinese. Tourism business definitely down with some hotels, restaurants and bars "for sale" or "for rent". On my cable TV, there is a channel dedicated solely to flight arrivals and departures at airports in Cambodia and many, many flights from China show "Cancelled".

According to the locals (and hotelier), it is quiet, but go down Pub Street for dinner and it is busy with tourists... albeit most whiteys tend to go home early. I thought Angkor was fairly busy at main temples and could only imagine how it would be spoiled with thousands of ott Chinese. I'd say visit before it starts getting hot.

On 2/28/2020 at 12:53 AM, daveAustin said:

According to the locals (and hotelier), it is quiet, but go down Pub Street for dinner and it is busy with tourists... albeit most whiteys tend to go home early. I thought Angkor was fairly busy at main temples and could only imagine how it would be spoiled with thousands of ott Chinese. I'd say visit before it starts getting hot.

Most of the big clubs are closed, bars will follow shortly. The town is dead. Half the number of Tuk Tuks, at least 80% reduction in singlets and elephant pants..

Edited March 19, 20206 yr by Nyezhov

^^ Bound to be now but that post was last month.