“Incredible achievement” in handling Covid, industry players say
CAMBODIA’s travel trade, which had been waiting eagerly for borders to reopen, is in jubilant spirits following the government’s sudden decision to lift quarantine for all vaccinated travellers with immediate effect.
On Sunday night Prime Minister Hun Sen made what observers say was an unexpected announcement that all fully vaccinated international travellers, tourists and business people could visit the whole of Cambodia freely without quarantine from Monday. All that’s needed is a PCR test on arrival, and if negative they are free to travel everywhere in the country.
This makes it the first country in Asia to fully open borders without restrictions and is much welcome relief for a battered tourism industry – revenue plummeted to $1 billion last year, down from nearly $5 billion in 2019, when the country attracted 6.6 million visitors.
Travel businesses had been clamouring for full reopening, citing Cambodia’s high vaccination rate. In its November 8 update, All Dreams Cambodia shared a chart highlighting the country’s vaccination campaign, calling it an “incredible achievement”. Cambodia is the ninth most vaccinated country in the world, 100% of adults are now vaccinated with over 10 million vaccinated and Phnom Penh is the world’s most vaccinated capital city.
Most travel businesses have been hanging on by the skin of their teeth, hoping that at least a semblance of a winter season could help them power through to next year.
Said Dara Huot, director of Phare, The Cambodian Circus, “Though the announcement from Cambodia seems to be abrupt and takes effect immediately, Cambodia’s strategies have been a model to learn from. Today, the population is one of the most vaccinated in the region and the world, the people have learned to cope with Covid and live in the new normal. No more forced closures of homes, buildings, markets and communities.
“Positive cases isolate and treat and recover at home. No stigma is attached to them. The borders are fully reopened. We feel liberated, we feel these are rational strategies. We will go down in history as a case study on how this country maneuvered this pandemic.
“We look forwards to welcoming international visitors with open arms. Phare Circus Artists had their premiere performance last night in France with full standing ovation. Phare Circus in Siem Reap is opening on November 18. We shall welcome tourists and artists again with a standing ovation to their performance made possible by the strategies of the government of Cambodia in dealing with Covid.”
Jacques Guichandut, managing director, All Dreams Cambodia, couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome. Sharing the news in his LinkedIn, he said, “Amazing news…. Cambodia “a small country with a big heart” is the first country in South-east Asia to open with no restrictions. We thank the Royal Government of Cambodia for taking the lead and we are ready to welcome you.”
In his previous pleas to reopen borders, he had said, “Tourism accounted for nearly 20% of the Cambodian economy in the pre-pandemic period. Since the Chinese will not be able to travel until Q2/Q3 2022, all international markets must be targeted. And to attract them, we need no restrictions, no constraints and the full country reopening.
“More than 100 countries in the world are already open to fully vaccinated visitors, from Croatia to Costa Rica and Thailand. Now people have choices in where they travel and where they spend their money. They will not travel to Cambodia unless the country ensures favourable conditions.”
His update also contains a Covid-19 Vaccination Summary of ASEAN.
• Featured image: Phare, The Cambodian Circus, had their premiere performance in France this week and will start performances in Siem Reap on November 18.
