Tourism chiefs in Cambodia say they hope officials will drop a $3,000 (£2,400) coronavirus deposit scheme under which travellers have to make a downpayment for potential medical costs – including their funeral – arguing it is likely to deter potential visitors.
The government announced earlier this month that all foreigners entering the country must have an insurance package worth $50,000 and make a deposit of $3,000 in cash or by credit card. The deposit covers possible expenses in the event a person catches Covid-19, including healthcare, laundry services, meals and a funeral.
Chhay Sivlin, the president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, said the deposit was introduced because insurance companies had previously refused to cover the cost of coronavirus treatment. “Our government has exhausted our resources and can no longer provide for any tourists tested positive for the disease,” she said.
The new policy was understandable, she said, but she hoped officials would introduce stricter regulation of insurance policies instead, and a requirement for travellers to carry a minimum amount of cash.
Cambodia has so far managed to contain the coronavirus, recording 130 cases and no deaths, but the pandemic has devastated the tourism industry, leaving vast numbers of people without work.
Khieu Thy, an English-speaking tour guide and head of the Angkor Tour Guide Association in Siem Reap, said he was relying on his savings and had turned to farming in order to survive. “I am worried for our livelihoods,” he said, fearing tourism will remain suspended until a vaccine becomes available.
About 13% of Cambodians are employed in the tourism sector and 30% work in related industries, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Some, including Thy, say the deposit scheme is important. Business is suffering, he said, but he worries travellers could spread the virus in Cambodia. Though the cost of the deposit is high, he doubts many tourists would want to travel at the moment anyway, given the risk of getting ill.
The number of visitors to Cambodia has dropped sharply in recent months. There were about 1.2m international arrivals between January and March, a 38% fall compared with the same period last year.
Ho Vandy, the secretary general of the Cambodia National Tourism Alliance, said he thought it would be three years before the sector recovered. “Before the Covid disease there were a lot of flights coming in, 43 airlines coming into Cambodia, but now there are just one or two flights per day,” he said.
Private sector representatives hope to meet government officials to discuss the deposit scheme because they fear it will deter tourists further, he said.
Sivlin expects cross-border travel to return by early 2021, but only between neighbouring countries. “The beginning of long-haul travelling is expected to resume in mid-to-late 2021,” she said. “Travel bubbles are still a very new concept, and for it to work potential partnering countries would have to ensure their respective countries are Covid-19 free.”
Additional reporting by Vutha Srey
