More than 400,000 travellers take advantage of long holiday

More than 400,000 travellers take advantage of long holiday

Minister of Tourism Thong Khon has said that more than 400,000 local tourists have travelled during the first three days marking the King’s Coronation Day and Water Festival holiday in the Kingdom amid the challenge of COVID-19 and floods.

The King Norodom Sihamoni Coronation Day was held on Thursday and the Water Festival this year started from Friday and ended Sunday. The government announced in August it was cancelling mass gatherings to stem the spread of COVID-19. Despite the cancellation of the ceremonies, including the popular boat race along Tonle Sap River in front of the Royal Palace, the holidays still went on.

Khon said that for the first three days of holidays, from Friday to Saturday, more than 418,000 local tourists have travelled to various tourism sites across the country, mostly in Siem Reap and Kampot provinces. He said about 111,000 of them travelled to Siem Reap to visit various ancient temples.

Khon noted that among the tourists were nearly 6,000 foreigners who remain in the country.

The Ministry of Tourism yesterday noted that tourist travels during the Water Festival holiday had dropped compared to last year due to concerns over COVID-19 and floods in some parts of the country, which posed travel difficulties.

In a directive on October 26, Khon told his officials to educate local business owners and tourists to mind their trash to maintain a hygienic environment. He also urged his officials to conduct field visits to increase people’s understanding of risks and COVID-19 preventive measures.

More than 4.7 million tourists visited the capital during the three-day Water Festival holiday last year, the figure represented a five percent increase compared with 2018’s holiday. Khmer Times