Tourists return to Cambodia - 4th May 2022

This is Angkor Wat. It's a famous temple in Cambodia. It's usually full of tourists. But Covid-19 changed that. Before Covid-19, there were 6.6 million tourists a year from other countries. Cambodia opened to foreign visitors at the end of 2021. Then, it had only 200,000 foreign tourists.

Visitors are very lucky. They can see Angkor Wat without tourists.

Marjan Colombie likes the experience.

Marjan Colombie: "Oh it's, it's a wonderful experience. It's, I know it's not good for Cambodia, I, I really, I wish all the tourists to come back because Cambodia really needs it. That's why as soon as we could, we came back also. But, but for us, it's a really nice experience."

Hanna's from Germany. It's her first time here.

Hanna: "Yeah, it's a much more special moment because it's a very unique experience. So, it's not many people here and it's quite quiet. So, you can really enjoy yourself and take a breath and look at everything, and nobody's stressing out. There are no big groups around."

Money from tourism is important for Cambodia. Covid-19 was bad for business. But workers at Angkor Wat were busy during this quiet time. They repaired the buildings and worked in the gardens.

Now local businesses are starting again. 20 percent of the hotels are open. The tourists will return. But it could take another 12 months.

For now, Marjan's very happy to enjoy the empty temple.

Marjan Colombie: "I think it's a once in a lifetime experience to, to really see it with such few tourists. So, I am, I'm really, really happy to, to be able to experience it like, like this."