Planning a trip to Cambodia? Better read this first

[Gaybutton]

I'm going to pass on a trip to Cambodia . . .
_______________________________________

Visitors to Cambodia must pay $3,000 deposit

Payment on arrival to cover cost of Covid-19 tests and related services

19 Jun 2020

Travellers entering Cambodia will be required to pay a US$3,000 deposit by cash or credit card for “Covid-19 service charges” at the airport upon arrival, and have $50,000 in travel insurance coverage, the government has announced.

A message posted on the Twitter account of the Office of the Prime Minister and dated June 16 contains a detailed list of related charges approved by the Ministry of Health and the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation.

Upon arrival at the airport, travellers will have to pay a $5 charge for transport to a testing centre, followed by $100 for a Covid-19 test. An overnight stay at a stipulated hotel or “waiting centre” while waiting for results costs $30, and a further $30 per day is charged for three meals.

Other charges include $15 for laundry, $5 daily for medical surveillance and $3 for security services.

The remainder of the deposit will be returned provided the passenger, and the rest of the people on their flight, have negative test results. Even so, they must self-isolate for 14 days after arrival in their chosen accommodation.

Travellers must report daily to medical officers and undergo a second Covid-19 swab test on the 13th day. A valid health certificate to leave the country will cost another $30.

The charges apply to all travellers except those on diplomatic or official government business, authorities said.

A traveller who tests positive and shows symptoms requiring hospital treatment will be taken to a state hospital and undergo up to four tests for Covid-19 costing $100 each. Should the traveller die, a funeral and cremation will cost $1,500.

All of these costs will also be automatically deducted from the $3,000 deposit.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/19377 ... 00-deposit

[gera]

OK , this is crazy. Nobody would want such a "vacation". Unless, of course, Cambodia will be able to create travel bubbles with neighbors like Thailand and people who entered Cambodia and went through quarantine over there could then proceed to bubble destinations without further delay.

[Gaybutton]

Nobody would want such a "vacation".

Of course not. That is precisely the point. Just as Thailand is doing, it seems obvious to me that Cambodia, at least for now, is pushing domestic tourism rather than foreign tourism. Once the virus scare is history, I think Cambodia will eventually rescind this unless they want no foreign tourists at all.

I think tourist dependent businesses, especially hotels, will be bitterly complaining. Places such as Angkor Wat will be unlikely to have any tourists, even Cambodian tourists.

Sihanoukville made the same mistake Pattaya made - making itself dependent and focused primarily on Chinese tourists. How many Chinese tourists are going to put up the equivalent of US $3000, even if they have the money?

So far there is no indication that Thailand is planning anything similar once foreign tourists are allowed back.

[Jun]

To state the obvious, Cambodia is very poor. Even compared with Thailand.
Average GDP is about $1600 per capita and it looks very unevenly distributed, with a few riding around in Range Rovers and the remainder are very poor. I would guess that the median GDP is a fair way below the average.

So domestic tourism simply isn't going to fill the gap left by all the overseas tourists.

To charge inbound travellers $3000, or more accurately stop them travelling with an excessive charge is just crazy.

Also, Cambodia is a young country, with a median age of 24 and low levels of obesity. So people should be fairly resistant to Covid and the balance should be a little bit more towards not ruining the economy.

[Gaybutton]

To charge inbound travellers $3000, or more accurately stop them travelling with an excessive charge is just crazy.

Unless they're just utterly stupid, which I doubt, the authorities who came up with this must know the effect this is going to have on foreign tourism. To me that is obvious.

Unless this is some sort of hoax that the Bangkok Post fell for and published, for me the question is why? Why are they doing this? I can't figure out what they are really trying to accomplish by knowingly destroying their own tourist industry.

[Jun]

Unless this is some sort of hoax that the Bangkok Post fell for and published, for me the question is why? Why are they doing this? I can't figure out what they are really trying to accomplish by knowingly destroying their own tourist industry.

Well I thought the Bangkok Post fell for a hoax with the fake eggs story. Obviously I got that one badly wrong & learned from it.

The $3000 deposit is reported elsewhere : https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50735870/a ... 0-deposit/

As for the question "why?", I just think it's an incompetent decision by a corrupt kleptocracy that only looks after itself.
I would think the only people likely to be paying the deposit are those who are content with a high risk of writing off their $3000. Also, if you're super wealthy, then flying into Siem Reap in a private jet, staying in a high end hotel and seeing the Angkor Wat complex when it's presumably almost free of tourists might just be worth $3000. Also, it would allow associates of the wealthy leaders into the country.

Personally, there's no way I'd trust them with my $3000. In a country that's significantly more corrupt than Thailand (!), as I've stated before, I would almost expect officials to find ways of telling me I failed the test, creating official records showing I passed & hence pocketing the $3000.

Planning for my next holiday will consider which governments are the most welcoming, alongside my personal Covid risk.

[Gaybutton]

Personally, there's no way I'd trust them with my $3000.

Neither would I. I'd like to visit Cambodia, but I for sure am not going to risk US $3000 to do it. I wouldn't risk $30 to do it. Putting $3000 in their hands and expecting to get any of it back? That's definitely not a risk I'm willing to take. Just worrying about it the entire time I'm there - in itself that would ruin my holiday. Sorry Cambodia - no thanks.

As long as I've lived in Pattaya, I've never even been to Cambodia. Under these circumstances, I'll just have to try to survive without a trip to Cambodia.

Another thought - As it stands right now, those of us living in Thailand are free to leave if we can find transportation. But getting back into Thailand after a trip to Cambodia? Good luck . . .

[gerefan]

Sorry to say that this is ridiculous and I hope Thai Authorities don't read this board!

As I have said before the biggest problem for visiting farangs to Thailand will be what stupid requirements the Thai authorities put in our way.

Let’s not give them ideas!

PS. The word “refund” has never appeared in a Thai dictionary. I doubt it is in a Cambodian one either.

[Gaybutton]

Sorry to say that this is ridiculous

It certainly rates a placement on my "I Don't Get It" list . . .

[ISAC69]

Most likely the $ 3000 will never be returned back.