Tourism Minister Thong Khon said the tourism and health ministries will work together to evaluate if foreign holidaymakers from low-risk countries who have been vaccinated can enter, according to preliminary plans.

The minister voiced the idea in a video released by the government in which he said that the re-opening was a move to “revive Cambodia’s tourism industry hit hard by the global Covid-19 crisis.”

According to the tourism ministry, the number of international visitors fell by 80.2 percent in 2020. The slump has caused widespread job losses in the vital tourism sector.

The video says that foreign tourists who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 will be exempted from quarantine or will have the quarantine period shortened. It also notes that the tourism ministry is working with relevant authorities “to ensure that Cambodia’s tourist destinations are safe”

Cambodia has suspended the issuance of tourism visas since April 2020. Additionally, all current arrivals must spend 14 days in a designated quarantine hotel.