Foreigners will have to pay additional costs to enter Cambodia following a government announcement earlier this week that visa fees will increase by $10 starting in October.
Tourists will have to pay $30 for a one-month entry visa and business visitors $35, up from the $20 and $25, respectively, that is currently charged.
Ith Chantha, a director-general in the Tourism Ministry, said the government was not concerned that the price hike might negatively impact tourism because the fee remained relatively low.
“The increase of the visa fee will not affect the number of tourists visiting Cambodia because the fees are still reasonable compared to most other countries where the fee are set $70, $80, $100…like Australia and the U.S.,” he said.
However, Ho Vandy, co-chair of the Government-Private Sector Working Group on Tourism, said the move would put pressure on Cambodia’s tourism sector at a time when competition to attract visitors is heating up.
“The government should think more about promotion and attraction policies,” he said. “That also includes the visa fee to attract more people to visit our country.”
