The number of tourists visiting Koh Kong province during the three days of Pchum Ben festival this year decreased by almost 60 percent, when compared to last year’s holiday.
Less than half of the usual number of tourists came to stay and visit tourist spots around the province, according to officials from the Koh Kong Provincial Department of Tourism, since the province is experiencing a Covid-19 issue, which has yet to subside in some places.
Local authorities have tightened health and safety measures for all people, including the Buddhist worshippers who bring food to the monks and visit the pagoda to mark Pchum Ben. In the face of the new Covid-19 crisis, a large number of people are worried, and do not dare to travel far from their homes, even to visit pagodas.
According to a report released yesterday by the Koh Kong Provincial Department of Tourism, the total number of national and international tourists staying and visiting resorts in the province during the three-day Pchum Ben festival was 11,248. These numbers are down about 57 percent from the same period last year.
Meanwhile, there were only 1,809 visitors to the ecotourism communities, also a large reduction, when compared with previous years.
The tourism monitoring team of the Koh Kong Provincial Department of Tourism reported that the substantial drop in the number of tourists during the three-day Pchum Ben festival was due to the spread of the deadly virus.
Sok Chankrisna, director of the Koh Kong Provincial Department of Tourism, continues to encourage service business owners at resorts and restaurants throughout the province to comply with the guidelines of the Ministry of Tourism, as well as all departments of the provincial authorities, saying that “All resorts and tourism communities need to be clean and sanitized, for the well-being of all of us”.
This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
