Cambodia’s famed Angkor sees 51 pct drop in foreign tourists in Q1

Source: Xinhua | 2020-04-02

Cambodia’s famed Angkor Archeological Park received 383,663 foreign tourists in the first quarter of 2020, down 51 percent over the same period last year, said a statement on Wednesday.

The ancient park earned gross revenue of 17.9 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales during the January-March period this year, also down 50 percent over the same period last year, said the state-owned Angkor Enterprise’s statement.

In March alone, the park welcomed 42,169 foreigners earning 1.7 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales, down 82 percent and 84 percent, respectively compared to the same month last year, it said.

The slump was due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Southeast Asian country has so far recorded a total of 109 confirmed cases of the virus, with 25 cured.

Located in northwest Siem Reap province, the Angkor Archeological Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1992, is the kingdom's most popular tourist destination.

The government on Tuesday provided a three-month tax holiday, from March to May, to all hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and tour companies in capital Phnom Penh and in Siem Reap, Preah Sihanouk, Kep and Kampot provinces, as well as in Bavet and Poipet cities in order to help offset losses caused by the COVID-19.

Last week, the kingdom decided to impose temporary entry restrictions for all foreign travelers for one month in order to stem the virus spread.