Cambodia launches campaign to revive pandemic-hit tourism industry

[geovalin]

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- A campaign named "Cambodia: Safe and Green Tourism Destination" was launched here on Thursday, aiming at reviving the COVID-19-hit tourism industry, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said.

 

Speaking at the launching event held via video conference, Khon said for the past two years, many tourism businesses were shut down and tens of thousands of employees lost their jobs.

 

"This campaign is a strategy to attract tourists from around the world as well as from countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to Cambodia," he said.

 

All fully-vaccinated tourists are welcome to Cambodia without quarantine, the minister said, advising all tourism-related businesses to implement tourism safety measures and standard operating procedures effectively in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

 

Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting the kingdom's economy. The country received up to 6.61 million international tourists in 2019, generating gross revenue of 4.92 billion U.S. dollars, according to the tourism ministry.

 

But due to the pandemic, the sector attracted only 163,366 foreign visitors during the Jan.-Nov. period in 2021, down 87 percent from 1.28 million over the same period in 2020, the ministry said.

 

Cambodia is famous for its three world heritage sites, namely the Angkor Archaeological Park, the Preah Vihear temple, and the Sambor Prei Kuk Archaeological Site. Besides, it has a 450-km pristine coastline stretching across four southwestern provinces.

 

The Southeast Asian nation opened its door to fully-vaccinated travelers in November last year after most of its population had been vaccinated against COVID-19.

 

The kingdom has so far administered at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to 14.34 million people, or 89.6 percent of its 16 million population, the health ministry said on Thursday, adding that 13.74 million people, or 86 percent, are fully vaccinated with two required shots.

Most of the vaccines used in the country's inoculation program are China's Sinovac and Sinopharm. ■