Phnom Penh’s extraordinary vaccination effort means that the capital’s economy is ripe for re-opening.

Official figures obtained by Khmer Times show that more than 2.4577 million people in Phnom Penh have been administered second doses of a Covid-19 vaccine as of Sunday. The most recent census from 2019 shows that the capital has more than 2.281 million residents.

Government spokesperson Phay Siphan explained the disparity exists because of efforts to vaccinate all individuals in Phnom Penh, not just official residents.

“People from outside came to Phnom Penh to get vaccinated. Factory workers from other provinces were in ‘Red Zones’. They also got vaccinated,” he told Khmer Times.

When asked whether more than 90 percent of Phnom Penh residents were vaccinated, Siphan indicated that it may be even more, saying that “almost everyone” in Phnom Penh had been fully inoculated, but recommended speaking with Phnom Penh City Hall for additional information. However, its spokesperson was unable to respond before publication.

The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces took over vaccination efforts in April. They are anticipated to wrap up their mission in Phnom Penh later this month and dedicate their focus on the rest of the country.

Anthony Galliano, Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cambodian Investment Management Holding, said that he is hopeful cases will substantially decelerate before the scheduled 13th Asia-Europe (ASEM) Meeting slated for Nov 25.

The long-awaited ASEM summit, which will see Cambodia take centre stage as global leaders descend on the capital, has been delayed twice because of the pandemic.

“Phnom Penh is among – if not the – most vaccinated capital city in the world, due to the superb work of the Royal Government. Like Singapore, the city is a prime candidate as a first starter to reopen and reap the benefits of a potential return of business travel and tourism,” Galliano told Khmer Times.

“Given lingering concerns and new variants and despite tremendous success in vaccinating the population, a paced relaxation to control, manage and mitigate risk is pragmatic. To encourage completion of unfinished projects, revive the real estate market, especially the condominium market which was heavily dependent on foreign buyers and spur an increase in foreign direct investment [reopening is vital],” he continued.

Industry stakeholders are requesting consideration for vaccinated Cambodian residents to be allowed to self-isolate at home rather than the two-week quarantine and $2,000 (partially refundable after expenses) cost at mandated hotels before extending the privilege to vaccinated businesspeople – a move which Galliano characterised as being “pragmatic”.

“Cambodian residents can quarantine at home and after a series of negative tests can benefit from a reduced quarantine period, while fully vaccinated business travellers can also enjoy a shortened and much less expensive quarantine if found negative. This will encourage a return of business travel and stimulate increased trade and investment. To deter non-compliance of quarantine rules and restrictions, severe penalties could be considered to avoid repeats of offences,” he said.

Earlier this week, Singapore announced that vaccinated individuals would be able to travel to Europe and the US without the need for quarantine.

The city state’s health minister told The Straits Times the government was “in a good position” to consider a travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore.

Singapore’s model of granting special privileges to vaccinated individuals is being closely monitored by neighbouring countries for potential replication, if successful.

Restricted reopening of travel would help increase foreign direct investment into the Kingdom and provide much-needed respite to the country’s now anaemic tourism sector

Heads of travel and leisure associations previously told Khmer Times that they yearned for a timeline so that they could plan accordingly.

Siem Reap is currently undergoing renovations that are not expected to be fully complete until 2023 and Sihanoukville is already a popular destination for Asian tourists.

“Sihanoukville’s infrastructure improvements are almost complete and the promise of the casino capital of Southeast Asia can begin to materialise. A possible short-term solution to capitalise on this national asset could be a confined area allowing in fully vaccinated tourists for the casinos, but not permitting travel outside this exclusive area.  This could benefit the national coffers, jobs and kick-start tourism, provided the city’s population is fully vaccinated,” said Galliano.

CEO of Cambodia Airports Alain Brun previously told Khmer Times the travel industry would target traditional partners, including those from China, Thailand and Vietnam once air bridges and travel bubbles are instituted.

“We are closely studying the Phuket model in Thailand to learn from its experience. It is indeed an island, but Cambodia will be an island itself because most of the adult population will be vaccinated soon and the levels of inoculation will likely be better than in Phuket,” said Brun.

The industry working groups believe efforts to revive the industry with domestic tourism were effective until mid-February and that real recovery will only be possible when international tourism returns, requiring global cooperation and evidence-based solutions so travel restrictions can be safely listed.

Stakeholders have made several suggestions to the government to improve the outlook for the tourism sector.

They include tax exemptions, rental fee discounts, public authority coordination, reduced cost of electricity, economic and financial support, postponing the pension scheme, restarting tourism, setting up an independent tourism board and improving capacity building.

Further suggestions to restart tourism included recommendations to set up Covid-19 test centres in Sihanoukville and Siem Reap towns.

Service employees in the tourism industry should be mostly vaccinated before welcoming overseas visitors. Given the government’s success in Phnom Penh, it is known that tourism employees can be easily vaccinated.

The capital already enjoys levels of immunity not achieved in countries with far greater resources so there is every reason to believe that 100 percent of tourism workers can be vaccinated in a timely manner, according to sources familiar with the matter.

They said while they were unsure where government-led vaccination efforts would turn to after Phnom Penh, in their estimation Sihanoukville was the most viable option because its casinos would generate greater revenue than visitors to Siem Reap.

Industry bodies have also recommended negotiations within ASEAN and countries including China and South Korea for reciprocal travel arrangements via green lanes and that the government act on travel bubbles and travel passes to kick-start recovery plans with neighbouring countries with low infection rates.

• Tags: COVID-19 in Cambodia, COVID-19 vaccine, Phnom Penh, travel bubble