Aranyaprathet – Poipet international border gate between Thailand and Cambodia. Photo by Flickr/Thanate Tan
The number of Cambodian visitors to Thailand has dropped by 48% in June with only 15,000 arriving after their border was closed, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Thailand closed the border on June 7 in response to rising tensions. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on June 22 ordered the closure of two border crossings with Thailand in response.
Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of the TAT, said as cited by Bangkok Post that Cambodian arrivals to Thailand have plunged amid border shutdowns.
It has particularly affected tourism in Aranyaprathet Town in Sa Kaeo Province, where hotel occupancy rates have decreased, Nation Thailand reported.
Many Cambodians have instead started traveling to Vietnam, taking advantage of the convenient transportation and lower travel costs.
Vietnam received over 324,000 Cambodian tourists in the first five months of this year, up 64% year-on-year.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia escalated following the killing of a Cambodian soldier in May during a brief exchange of gunfire in a disputed border area.
Since June 7 the Thai army has unilaterally closed border checkpoints, with little regard for the negative impact on the people of both countries, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet wrote on Facebook.
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