THE ROYAL GOVERNMENT TO CONSIDER WELCOMING VACCINATED TOURISTS TO SIEM REAP ANGKOR IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 2021

The Royal Government of Cambodia is considering the reopening of international tourists who are vaccinated to Siem Reap Angkor in quarter 4 of 2021. The decision is made based on better control of the community outbreak. In addition, the vaccination rollout for government officials, tourism operators, workers and those in other sectors advances at a fast pace at this destination.

In response to the request of H.E Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism of Cambodia, Samdech Techo HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, has petitioned the Ministry of Tourism to discuss with the Ministry of Health (Ad-hoc committee), relevant ministries and institutions, provincial administration and private sector on possibilities to introduce package tours for vaccinated tourists.

Siem Reap Angkor is one of the main destinations which is well controlled for the community outbreak of COVID-19. This coupling with the already-vaccinated tourism businesspeople, workers and the ongoing rollout for the general population will build trust and confidence for tourists as a new currency in the tourism industry.
In order for the package tours to be attractive, the Ministry of Tourism must work out the following priorities:

1. Build Trust and Confidence
2. Quality service and price
3. Travel facilitation at international borders with respect and compliance to health and safety guidelines
The package tours may be launched for direct flight destinations without transit. Direct flights from neighbouring countries can be seen as one of the priorities.

The project reopening aligns with the implementation of “the Roadmap for Tourism Recovery during and post COVID-19” which has been recently adopted by the government.

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Cambodia introduces QR code scanning for venues to combat COVID-19

The  Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPTC) has set up a QR Code “Stop Covid” in an attempt to provide additional measures to increase the efficiency and speed of prevention and control of the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The Ministry of Health announced Saturday on the implementation of the QR Code and this moves comes as a direct response to the current February 20 Community Incident, which as of Saturday 9pm has seen 32 foreign nations being tested positive for COVID-19.

It said that the public need to scan the QR Code when traveling in and out of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, entertainment venues, condominiums, companies, factories, and other enterprises which have a lot of foot traffic.

“This system will record the location of the person logged who had scanned the QR Code (a system that does not track or affect the privacy of the individual) and make it easier to find those involved or affected if that location is found to have COVID infected guests or patrons.”

The Intergovernmental Commission on the Prevention of COVID-19 also advised business owners, restaurant owners and the above-mentioned owners of crowded places to use the QR Code “Stop Covid-19”.

To get the QR Code to use, please go to stopcovid.gov.kh and click on “Request QR Code” . Then fill in the information and click on “Request QR Code” and click on “Download” to get a QR Code to print and paste in front of the business entry-exit points. Using this system is free of charge.

The Intergovernmental Commission for the Prevention of COVID-19 also called on the public to use the system to prevent the spread of the outbreak.

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Virtual Destination Mekong Summit provides actionable insights for travel and tourism industry during COVID-19

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

DESTINATION MEKONG SUMMIT

Virtual Destination Mekong Summit provides actionable insights for travel and tourism industry during COVID-19

Session videos now available online to watch for free

Bangkok, September 8, 2020: The 1st Destination Mekong Summit was organized virtually by UNWTO Affiliate Member Strategies as a lead partner of Destination Mekong in partnership with the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office on 25 August 2020. Nearly 1,500 registered attendees from over 100 countries joined the virtual conference on Zoom with an additional 500 following the live stream on YouTube and the event website.

“With the topic “Balanced Tourism Recovery for a Better Future”, the Summit had the objective to answer burning questions, offer actionable suggestions on how to survive these challenging times, and best prepare for an accelerated recovery.”, explained Mr. Jens Thraenhart, Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, and chair of the summit.  Speakers from the public and private sectors included Tourism Ministers and CEOs from travel companies, academia, the media, and NGOs, as well as members of the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG).

With a condensed content concept, DMS was structured in twelve short chapters starting with insights about “The Disruption” by Dr. Simon Hudson, from the University of South Carolina, author of the upcoming book “COVID-19 & Travel”. The former Ministers of Tourism of Thailand and Myanmar, H.E. Mr. Weerasak Kowsurat and H.E. Mr. Htay Aung respectively, engaged in a discussion about learnings from past crisis, moderated by Mr. Xu Jing, former Director of Asia Pacific of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). This discussion was followed by a panel of senior government officials moderated by Mr. Steven Schipani of the Asian Development Bank, including Dr. Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism of Cambodia,  Dr. Sieu Ha Van, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, and Mr. Sounh Manivong, Director General of the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism of Lao PDR. Learnings about domestic tourism opening in China by representatives from the private sector and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of PR China, as well as recommendations about communications by Deputy Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mr. Tanes Petsuwan and Chief Commercial Officer of Minor Hotels, Mr. Michael Marshall provided action-oriented insights. The following chapters looked into recovery efforts and opportunities for governments, key source markets with a focus on Japan by JTB and China by Dragon Trail, the hotel and aviation sectors as key industry pillars by IATA and STR respectively, and the impact on sustainability moderated by GSTC. Two sessions were conducted in partnership with Horwath HTL and presented key takeaways for businesses.

The final chapters addressed how collaboration can help businesses in the recovery discussing strategies with Accor and Yaana Ventures, as well as a look at the future with Dr. Ian Yeoman, author of “Tourism Futures” from the Victoria University of Wellington.

A summary chapter was lead by Prof. Geoffrey Lipman from The SunX Program with global and regional tourism leaders including H.E. Ms. Gloria Guevera, CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), H.E. Ms. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, former Minister of Tourism and sports of Thailand, H.E. Dr. Taleb Rifai, former Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). The panel debated the need for balanced tourism recovery and the integration of climate change as an existential threat post COVID-19.

The Virtual Destination Mekong Summit was also the launch-pad of the Mekong Memories campaign and Mekong Deals platform, as well as the announcement of the 2020 Experience Mekong Showcases and the 1st Mekong Hero recognition to Ms. Potjana Suansri, founder of the Thailand Community-based Tourism Institute.

The Virtual Destination Mekong Summit was co-emceed by Dr. Jutamas Wisangsing, former chair of PATA Thailand, and Mr. Jens Thraenhart, out of a pop-up studio at co-working space Gaysorn Village in Bangkok, Thailand.

Details of the event, as well as recordings of the sessions, can be found at https://www.destinationmekong.com/dms2020/.

About the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office:


The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), located in Bangkok, was set up with funding from the governments of the six Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries – Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The MTCO, which operates on annual financial contributions from each GMS country, acts as the secretariat for the GMS Tourism Working Group, comprising of senior officials of the six GMS countries’ National Tourism Organizations, to coordinate and facilitate sustainable tourism development of the GMS, and promotion of the Mekong region as a single travel and tourism destination, in collaboration with the public and private sectors. The MTCO manages its award-winning MekongTourism.org digital platform as a one-stop platform to promote responsible and sustainable tourism in the region, as well as the annual Mekong Tourism Forum, whose hosting is rotated among GMS countries.

Please visit www.MekongTourism.org for more information.

 

 

About Destination Mekong:

Destination Mekong was created in 2017 to promote the Lancang-Mekong region, comprising of Cambodia, PR China (Provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam as a single tourism destination to stimulate responsible and sustainable development and investment, and drive inclusive growth. Endorsed by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and aligned with the mandate of the regional collaborative tourism framework of the six-member governments of the Greater Mekong Sub-region, Destination Mekong executes targeted projects and initiatives, including Mekong Moments, Mekong Mini Movie Festival, Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism (MIST), Experience Mekong Collection, Mekong Heroes, and Mekong Trends, with feedback from the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG) and via public-private partnership investment structure, led by UNWTO Affiliate Member Chameleon Strategies.

More information at: www.DestinationMekong.com