Cambodia expects Chinese tourists to drive its tourism growth after COVID-19

Cambodia is hoping that Chinese tourists will drive its tourism growth when the world is cleared of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said on Saturday.

Khon said the COVID-19 pandemic had made profound impact on the country’s tourism. However, he was optimistic that Chinese tourists would support the kingdom’s tourism growth when the coronavirus is over.

The minister said mutual help and trust between the two countries in the fight against COVID-19 has not only deepened bilateral ties, but also earned praise from the two countries.

“The visit of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen to Beijing in February during the virus outbreak has received lavish praise from the Chinese people, and through this visit, I believe that more Chinese people will spend their holidays in Cambodia when the COVID-19 crisis is over,” Khon told Xinhua.

China has become the largest source of foreign tourists to Cambodia since 2017. Cambodia’s tourism industry, which amounted to 4.92 billion U.S. dollars, is currently being hit hardest by the ravaging pandemic. A tourism data showed that Cambodia received a total of 223,400 foreign tourists in March, a decrease of 65 percent over the same month last year.

Secretary of state and spokesman of the Tourism Ministry Top Sopheak said, “Before COVID-19, the Angkor archeological park in Siem Reap province received up to 9,000 foreign tourists a day, but now, it gets only 20 per day and those are foreigners living and working in Cambodia.”

To be ready to receive Chinese tourists during the post-COVID-19 era, Cambodia will continue to promote the “China Ready” strategy and urge tourism businesses and other tourism destinations to further implement health and safety measures for all tourists, he said.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA), agreed that Chinese tourists will be the main driver of tourism growth in Cambodia after the pandemic, and tour and travel companies will unveil new tour packages to attract Chinese tourists when the pneumonia-causing virus is over.