欧美文化:Roundup: Cambodia's Water Festival holiday concludes with over 900,000 tourists traveling

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's three-day Water Festival holiday has come to an end with some 910,000 people traveling to different tourist attractions after most of the population have been vaccinated against COVID-19, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said Sunday.

Water Festival, one of the largest festivals in the Southeast Asian nation, was marked from Nov. 18 to 20 this year.

Among the tourists were 899,870 locals and 10,281 foreigners living in the country, Khon said, adding that the number of tourists during this year's Water Festival rose 54 percent 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 organized boat races during the occasion, attracting many spectators.

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

The minister added that tourists felt safe and confident to travel during the holiday after they have been fully inoculated against the COVID-19, as hotels and restaurants have been reopened in the new normal.

"These prove that we have returned to a new normal, and our economy has begun to recover," he said.

Cambodia launched a COVID-19 inoculation drive in February, with China being the key vaccine supplier.

To date, the country has administered at least one vaccine dose to 14.09 million people, or 88 percent of its 16-million population, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Of them, 13.23 million, or 82.7 percent, have been fully vaccinated with both required shots, and 2.13 million, or 13.3 percent, have received a booster dose.

Thong Mengdavid, a research fellow at the Phnom Penh-based Asian Vision Institute, said Cambodia is one of the most fully COVID-19 vaccinated countries in the world, and with its high vaccination coverage, Cambodia is able to return to normal sooner than other countries in the region.

"With a solid herd immunity, Cambodia is now safer to conduct business activities and travelling in the new normal," he told Xinhua.

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.

The kingdom confirmed 41 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the national total caseload to 119,867, the MoH said, adding that four more fatalities were registered, taking the overall death toll to 2,900.

Another 39 patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 116,246, the MoH said.