Tourists visit Angkor Wat in Siem Reap province. Yousos Apdoulrashim
Revenue from ticket sales to foreigners visiting Siem Reap province’s Angkor Archaeological Park clocked in at a paltry $219,218 in the first half of 2021, cratering by 98.79 per cent year-on-year, as tourism remained in a Covid-19 coma.
And last month alone, ticket sales brought in just $22,010, down by 69.9 per cent from last June, reported Angkor Enterprise, the institution in charge of the temple complex’s income management.
International visitors bought 5,329 tickets in the first half – 555 last month alone, the state-owned enterprise said at the weekend.
The entrance fee to the park is $37 for a one-day visit, $62 for a three-day ticket and $72 dollars for a week-long pass, according to Angkor Enterprise’s price list.
Last year, international visitors bought 400,889 tickets to the park worth $18,654,828, booking year-on-year declines of 81.82 per cent and 81.17 per cent in volume and value, Angkor Enterprise figures show.
Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia chapter chairman Thourn Sinan told The Post on July 4 that declining incomes and dwindling international tourism were trends seen around the world, and not limited to the Kingdom.
He said the current slump could only be reversed if cross-border restrictions on international visitors are eased, especially for those fully-vaccinated against Covid-19.
The private sector, through the Ministry of Tourism, has been petitioning the government to allow in fully-vaccinated foreign tourists from the fourth quarter of this year, will little or no quarantine stay, he added.
“If the government allows a reopening for visitors as planned, I expect revenue from visits to temples in Cambodia to recover,” Sinan said.
Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said 346,518 domestic trips were made across the Kingdom last month, up month-on-month but down by 43.4 per cent year-on-year.
He said Cambodian holidaymakers accounted for 342,109 trips, with foreign residents making up the remaining 4,409.
Domestic tourism has witnessed a marked rebound after the government on April 25 lifted an inter-provincial travel ban and ended the closure of tourist destinations across the country, except for resorts in locked down provinces.
The minister said: “Tourist destinations in coastal areas – especially Kampot, Kep and Sihanoukville – as well as ecotourism, nature tourism and agro-tourism sites have been the main destinations, attracting a lot of domestic tourists,” he said.
