Cambodia’s hospitality industry is up in arms after Vietnam and Thailand partially open for tourists, under strict conditions, but the Kingdom remains firmly shut to such trials despite being more in control of the pandemic.
This comes as news broke that Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island will be open for “fully vaccinated” tourists from the beginning of November for a period of six months as a trial and to boost tourism in the country.
In Thailand, vaccinated visitors will be able to visit five provinces from Oct 1: Bangkok, Chiangmai, Chonburi, Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan, which will follow the hugely successful “Sandbox” model piloted in Phuket, which has seen a revenue of around $50 million and seen 27,609 tourists from July 1 to Sept 3.
A former hotelier on Koh Rong by the name of Richards said: “Cambodia is already 80 percent vaccinated with two doses. If you can’t open the borders now, when can you? How can Phu Quoc open when Vietnam has only vaccinated about 12 percent of the whole country’s population, assuming they have had two doses?”
Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh explained that the rules to enter the country are simple: Visitors will be required to have their second dose of a recognised vaccine at least 14 days prior to travelling to the paradise island, and no more than 12 months previously, along with a negative PCR test result within 72 hours of departing.
The Thailand Sandbox model means that fully vaccinated tourists can visit specific destinations as long as they follow strict rules of staying within a certain area for a period of time (seven to 14 days) and undergoing Covid-19 tests at different times until eventually being able to travel freely.
Tourism in Cambodia has dropped significantly since 2019 when there was $5.31 billion in revenue and 6.6 million visitors to a measly 700,000 recorded visitors in the first quarter of this year, according to a study by the Ministry of Tourism. This put extra strain on business owners particularly in the hospitality industry, with many hotels and guesthouses closing or staff wages cut.
The news comes as Epizode festival prepares to welcome thousands of ravers, revellers and world famous disc jockeys to Phu Quoc for 11 days of dancing and drinking 24 hours a day to celebrate the fifth time the festival has taken place. This will surely bring some fresh hope for the business sector to spur on more tourism in all ASEAN countries, but when or will Cambodia follow suit?
Vietnam would fully vaccinate all residents on Phu Quoc before opening, its tourism ministry said, adding the island had not reported any community infections and had sufficient COVID-19 quarantine and treatment facilities.
Neighbouring Thailand has already partially reopened to foreign tourists, including on the resort island of Phuket, where about 70 per cent of the population was required to be vaccinated.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conceded this month Vietnam was facing a lengthy battle against Coronavirus, which has infected more than 570,000 people and killed 14,400, saying it could not just rely on lockdowns and quarantine.
Meanwhile, Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said last Thursday Ho Chi Minh City, the epicentre of the latest outbreak, had allowed restaurants to offer takeaway meals and shippers to operate more widely in a slight relaxation of a tough lockdown.
Andrew Varga, an observer of the Siem Reap hospitality scene, told Khmer Times yesterday: “I think Cambodia should very seriously consider opening up as soon as possible because apparently 80 percent of the population are vaccinated and therefore protected against serious illness.
“The actual numbers of infections per se seems to me to be pretty irrelevant. The only thing that matters is what the trend is regarding serious cases and deaths and presumably because the Cambodian government has done such a good job of vaccinating such a high proportion of the population. If they don’t now open up, all of that support and effort by all concerned would be a total waste of time.”
A hotel owner in Phnom Penh who wishes not to be named said: “Although the vaccination numbers are one of the highest in the ASEAN region, the government is yet to open the borders to allow the tourism market to get back on its feet. I’m sure I don’t just speak for myself when I say I feel let down. Especially with Vietnam having such a low number of vaccinated people.”
The Ministry of Tourism could not be reached for comment.
This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
