Border opening boost tourism among Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam

Tourists wear facemasks as they walk along Pub Street in Cambodia's Siem Reap province. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Phnom Pen - After Thailand’s government allowed the re-opening of the border with Cambodia from May 1, a number of associations and private companies in the tourism sector in Cambodia, Thailand as well as Vietnam have cooperated to plan to boost the flow of tourists again.

In early May, the Asia-Pacific Tourism Association (PATA) led by Thuon Sinan, President of the Association, travelled through the Cham Yeam International Border Crossing in Cambodia’s Koh Kong province to Thailand’s Trat province and to Bangkok to attend the Tourism and Trade Exchange Meeting between Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam from May 5-6, while a delegation of companies in Cambodia also travelled by air from Phnom Penh to Bangkok.

The purpose of this road trip is to study and understand the journey as well as to complete the paperwork at the border checkpoints on both the Cambodian and Thai sides.

Thuon Sinan said that the opening of the border between Cambodia and Thailand is very good for tourism, transport, trade, as well as other areas that are essential for the continuation of economic development between the two countries.

He said the flow of tourists by land would be even greater if the Thai side relaxed some conditions or documents because when he crossed the border, the requirements from the Thai side were still unstable, such as the conditions for driving a private car into Thailand and the problems that the Thai side requested the Cambodian side to conduct a rapid test on guests and passengers.

Visitors are returning to Cambodia after COVID-19, with the number of tourist arrivals to the world heritage Angkor Wat rocketing by 622 percent to 33,205 in the first four months of this year, generating about 1.35 million USD in revenue.

In April alone, 13,365 travellers visited the famous destination.