Siem Reap: As the country prepares to fully reopen the tourism economy, the Siem Reap Provincial Administration has decided to waive this year’s license renewal fees for tour guides. They’ve been decimated by the pandemic, with the city’s foreign arrivals having dried up. Siem Reap provincial deputy governor, Pin Prakot, says apart from waiving license renewal fees, fines for expired licences have also been cancelled.

The Provincial Administration says that the pandemic has caused around 1,000 tour guides to lose their livelihoods. Siem Reap Provincial Deputy Governor, Pin Prakot, says they are looking for ways to revitalise tourism as the province has already received an infrastructure development for some 38 roads from the government. They are also speeding up construction to contribute to tourism and provide opportunities and benefits for businesses involved in tourism and other sectors.

Siem Reap Provincial Administration says the province’s economy has faced difficulties for nearly two years now. Siem Reap is famous for its Angkor Temples, specifically for Angkor Wat, but with Covid-19, there are barely any tourists visiting. Prime Minister Hun Sen has previously said that Cambodia will soon reopen despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Tourism has been working hard together with other partners in creating a roadmap for the safe reopening. On Wednesday, Minister of Tourism, Thong Kon, met with other leaders and partners to discuss the planned reopening. The two major agendas that were discussed were the strategic plan for the reopening of tourism for vaccinated international tourists and domestic tourism in the country.