The city’s tourism revenue and the industry’s number of agents are down 90 percent after a year of Covid-19, they said, but a provincial deputy governor noted that the industry’s revival would ultimately depend on the pandemic situation and worldwide vaccinations.
Just 500 meters from Angkor temple park grounds, casino operator NagaCorp has proposed a giant 75-hectare resort with theme parks, a “China Town” and hotels that the company compares to Disneyland.
Foreign arrivals from select countries and who are sponsored by a local company director or other official have had Covid-19 quarantine requirements relaxed, but “general” foreign and Cambodian arrivals no longer have the option to self-isolate at home for two weeks, according to the Health Ministry’s latest guidelines.
The embattled tourism sector’s woes continued as foreign visitor numbers to Angkor Archaeological Park dipped again in October, while the Water Festival weekend failed to provide much of a boost for some regions and businesses.
The rise of domestic tourism offers a glimmer of hope for rural families struggling under the weight of the pandemic and economic crisis, but more work is needed before visits to Cambodia’s ecotourism areas can offer something special for local visitors, observers say.
The Cambodian Cultural Village in Siem Reap has announced its closure due to plummeting visitors amid the global pandemic, and follows workers’ protests for more than a month over salary cuts.
Beleaguered by widespread closures and job losses, Cambodia’s tourism industry enjoyed a small bump last month from a surge in domestic travel, a welcome reprieve amid an outlook that remains dim.
Performers and staff from the Cambodian Cultural Village in Siem Reap continued protesting through Thursday, fearing the loss of an administrative office would make working conditions worse in the future.
Staff at a Siem Reap cultural tourism complex negotiated with management and provincial labor officials on Tuesday, a worker representative said, a day after more than 40 employees protested outside the attraction calling for an end to salary cuts and a bargaining agreement.
Cambodia could see negative growth this year — for the first time since 1994 — due to the pandemic-spurred economic crisis, the World Bank projected on Friday, estimating even more severe hits to the nation’s key industries than it did two months ago.
VOD is an independent media outlet producing radio programs and disseminating information to the public via the Internet.
© 2019 VOD. All Rights Reserved.
