Tourist Numbers Plummet In First Quarter Of 2020

PHNOM PENH: May 4 (Xinhua) — Cambodia received 1.15 million international visitors during the first quarter (Q1) of 2020, down 38.5 percent due to the impact of COVID-19, according to the latest report released by the Ministry of Tourism on Monday.

China, Vietnam, Thailand, the United States and South Korea were the largest sources of foreign tourists to the Southeast Asian country during the January-March period this year, the report said.

In March alone, Cambodia got 223,400 foreign tourists, a decrease of 65 percent over the same month last year, it added.

The sharp decline in foreign tourists to Cambodia was due to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the country to ban the entry of foreign travelers from the United States, Italy, Germany, Spain, France and Iran since mid-March and to impose entry restrictions for all foreign travelers since late March.

Cambodia has so far recorded a total of 122 confirmed cases of the COVID-19, with 120 patients cured, Health Minister Mam Bunheng said in a press conference here on Monday.

He said although the kingdom had detected no new COVID-19 positive cases for the last three weeks, the risk of new infections remains high given the fact that some countries in the region and in the world are still being hit hard by the virus.

The minister urged people to remain extra-vigilant, encouraging them to wear face masks, to wash hands with alcohol or antibacterial hand gel frequently, and to avoid mass gatherings. XINHUA

Photo: MOVE TO CAMBODIA