Over 900K tourists in Cambodia during 3-day Water Festival

Over 900,000 tourists took part in Cambodia's three-day Water Festival as majority of the country's population have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, said Tourism Minister Thong Khon.

Water Festival, one of the largest in the Southeast Asian nation, was marked from November 18 to 20 this year, reports Xinhua news agency.

Among the tourists were 899,870 locals and 10,281 foreigners living in the country, Khon said on Sunday, adding that the number of tourists during this year's Water Festival rose 54 per cent compared to that of last year.

"Although a national-level boat racing event (in capital Phnom Penh) was cancelled, a lot of tourists have visited parks in front of the Royal Palace and along Chaktomuk River, the Diamond Island complex, and the Win-Win Monument," he said.

Khon added that some provinces such as Kandal, Kampong Speu, Pursat and Banteay Meanchey organised boat races during the occasion, attracting many spectators.

"All tourism sites across the country had reopened during the three-day holiday, with the adaptation to the new normal," he said.


Cambodia launched a Covid-19 inoculation drive in February, and to date, the country has administered at least one vaccine dose to 14.09 million people, or 88 per cent of its 16-million population, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Of them, 13.23 million, or 82.7 per cent, have been fully vaccinated, and 2.13 million, or 13.3 percent, have received a booster shot.

Meanwhile, World Health Organization representative to Cambodia Li Ailan urged people to continue exercising caution although they have been fully vaccinated.


"The Covid-19 pandemic is not over yet. The virus is invisible. Stay safe and stay healthy," she wrote on social media.

In the last 24 hours, there were 41 new Covid-19 cases which increased the total infection tally to 119,867, the MoH said, adding that four additional fatalities took the overall death toll to 2,900. -IANS