Cambodia’s hotels and international flights to reopen shortly

PHNOM PENH, Jun 8, 2020, VNA. Hotels and international flights forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia are expected to reopen this month, The Khmer Times reported.

Clais Chenda, President of Cambodia Hotel Association, said that some hotel owners confirm they will resume operations shortly and international flights are expected to commence from mid-June, as the local disease situation is seemingly calm.

So far, around 170 companies in the tourism sector in Cambodia have also been closed temporarily, leaving a 16,891 people unemployed, according to Prime Minister Hun Sen.

To help the sector, the government has launched four measures, extending for another two months a tax exemption from June to July for hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and tour operators.

It also provided an exemption for tourism licence fees for 2021 and said they were not required to pay into the National Social Security Fund during the crisis.

During the first four months, Cambodia welcomed 1.16 million foreign visitors, a decline of 52 percent compared with the same period last year, he said.

The country’s Ministry of Tourism last week had introduced additional safety measures for hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, resorts and transportation to contain the pandemic spread after signs of tourism activities are rebounding.

In total, more than 3,000 tourism-related businesses in Cambodia have been closed, leaving more than 45,400 people unemployed, according to the minister.