Phnom Penh: Minister of Tourism, Thong Khon, says the first day of the Pchum Ben holiday notched up almost 150,000 tourists. 149,013 guests in all checked into resorts around the country. 147,544 of these were Cambodians, with 1,469 being foreign residents.
The most visited places are as follows: Kampot Province with 30,455 people; Kep with 26,890; Preah Sihanouk with 18,197; Pursat Province with 8,705 people; Mondulkiri with 7,233 people and Siem Reap which received 6,086 visitors.
This numbers are down 44.91% on the first day of Pchum Ben in 2020, but represent an increase of 27.55% compared to the previous weekend. At the same time, the influx of domestic tourists has been strong in the provincial capitals, as tourist destinations across the country have opened to receive guests, including Siem Reap, which closed last week, with the exception of Kampong Chhnang, which, with administrative measures still in place, continues to ban certain activities, including resorts.
The Minister points out that on this first day of the three-day holiday, some people travel to their hometowns to celebrate Pchum Ben and reunite with their families before continuing onto visit tourist destinations over the remainder of the holiday.
Others appear to have chosen to travel in a circuit through many provinces, such as in the northeast or along the coast. Accommodation at major tourist destinations such as Mondulkiri, Kampot and Kep is fully booked until the end of the week.
The Minister appears happy that all tourism destinations have strived to comply with tourism safety rules and minimum standard operating procedures (SOPs). He says tourists have also participated in the “implementation of measures to prevent Covid-19, especially the “3 do’s and 3 don’ts”, with all tourist destinations requiring visitors to wear masks and prevent large gatherings.
He says overall, despite the bad weather, the general situation for the first day has been good with people happy to visit and reunite with their families on the occasion of Pchum Ben, and the private sector has also been hoping for an influx of domestic tourists to help support their business operations.
