Cambodia is expected to welcome tourists who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of this year

 Cambodia is expected to welcome tourists who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of this year

Cambodia will open its doors to tourists who have received the Covid-19 vaccine by the end of this year. This is confirmed by Mr. Chuk Chumnor, spokesman of Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism.

Cambodia is expected to welcome tourists who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of this year

Chuk Chumnor, spokesman for the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia, said that the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Health are currently actively researching and discussing a plan to welcome tourists who have been vaccinated against Covid-19. -19.

This plan is to ensure the safety of tourists and people from the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic; at the same time, ensuring the implementation of the roadmap for restoring and developing Cambodia's tourism industry in the 2020-2025 period, which has just been approved by the Government.

Chuk Chumnor said that currently, the situation of the Covid-19 epidemic in Cambodia as well as in the world is still very complicated and it is not possible to determine when the epidemic will end. Therefore, Cambodia needs to prepare everything ready, so that when the epidemic subsides, it can welcome international tourists. If the wave of infection in the community (from February 20 to now) ends soon, it is likely that Cambodia will open its doors to tourists in the fourth quarter of this year.

Mr. Chuk Chumnor said: "Around November and December, if the Covid-19 epidemic situation around the world is under control and the number of people vaccinated with vaccines is increasing, it is likely that Cambodia will open its doors to welcome tourists. The calendar is huge. However, the final decision is up to the government and especially the actual development of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Cambodia's tourism industry has been severely affected since the Covid-19 pandemic appeared in China at the end of 2019. In particular, the number of international tourists to Cambodia in 2020 is 1.31 million, a decrease of 80 .2% compared to 2019, causing the country's tourism revenue to lose more than 3 billion USD (only 1,023 billion USD, down 79.2% compared to 2019).

The decline has directly affected the contribution of tourism - a key economic sector in Cambodia to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In 2020, the tourism industry contributes only 3% to GDP, compared with 12.1% in 2019.