A waterfall in Mondulkiri province. POST STAFF
The Ministry of Tourism on January 27 rolled out the “Cambodia: Safe and Green Tourism Destination” campaign in a bid to rehabilitate and reinstate the Covid-19-bruised tourism industry to its former glory.
Speaking at the virtual launch, Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said the campaign would challenge municipal and provincial administrations to devise inventive solutions to draw in international travellers, especially through intra-ASEAN corridors.
The minister called on all private tourism-oriented businesses to follow the pertinent minimum standard operating procedures (SOP) for the “new normal” issued by the relevant ministries to prepare for a substantive uptrend in international tourists.
“Tourists coming into Cambodia must be fully vaccinated and must abide by Cambodian laws and regulations, especially those encompassed in the Royal Government of Cambodia’s anti-Covid-19 campaign,” he said.
Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA) adviser Ho Vandy told The Post on January 27 that after the close of the 40th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF 2022), both public and private tourism industry actors are keen to ramp up support for the “safe and green” segment, and increase focus on community tourism as well as the coastline and other natural areas across the provinces.
He called on businesses that cater to foreign holidaymakers to adhere to the safety rules set by the Ministry of Health and relevant SOPs to stave off a Covid-19 outbreak, especially those in areas such as Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem islands, Kep and Koh Kong beaches, and Bokor National Park.
CATA met with other ASEAN tourist organisations during ATF 2022, particularly those from the Philippines and Singapore, seeking to raise the number of intra-regional flights, he said.
“The Singapore Airlines CEO has committed to discuss Cambodia’s proposal to increase the number of flights with the Singaporean government to further boost tourist flows,” Vandy said.
The “Cambodia: Safe and Green Tourism Destination” campaign also contains guidelines on what travellers to the Kingdom should and shouldn’t do, as well as capacity and other ‘new normal’ rules and SOPs for supermarkets, marts and traditional markets.
