Preah Vihear Temple taxi drivers struggling as Kingdom reopens

The stunning cliff-top Preah Vihear temple can be accessed by a steep road which only skilled taxi drivers are allowed to drive in order to transport tourists up and down. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, number of visitors have decreased dramatically and drivers are struggling to survive, unless and until large numbers of tourists return. Dangrek mountain is 625 metres high and the road from bottom to top is seven kilometres.

Provincial deputy director of Tourism and Travel Agents Phat Sothy, who is responsible for taxi drivers, told Khmer Times that only 60 cars are authorised to make the round trips from the bottom to the top and back. The fee is set at $25 for both national and international guests.

“One car can handle not more than 10 local tourists or only six foreign tourists per trip,” he said, adding that now there are more than 30 families of domestic tourists per day.Drivers are given a number from one to 60 each day and the turns go in that order to maintain safety on the steep road.

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https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50987062/preah-vihear-temple-taxi-drivers-struggling-as-kingdom-reopens/