Enduring the Pandemic: Rapid Survey on the Impact of Covid-19 on MSMEs in the Tourism Sector and Households in Cambodia

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The Covid-19 pandemic is leading to a dramatic roll-back of economic progress across Southeast Asia. While the region managed to contain the spread of the virus better than most, the economic impact on the region has been devastating. Southeast Asia is highly integrated into the global economy, both with regard to trade and international travel. After international travel stopped almost entirely in March, the tourism and business travel sectors experienced unprecedented contraction. Many small businesses have closed permanently due to economic losses brought on by Covid-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions. With each passing month, tens of millions more workers are at risk of sliding into poverty, including many in the middle class. As the pandemic drags on, temporary job losses have become permanent, and household incomes have plummeted.

To address the need for accurate data on how Covid-19 is disrupting micro and small enterprises, vulnerable workers, the informal economy, and heavily affected sectors, The Asia Foundation and its partners conducted a series of national surveys and case studies in six Southeast Asian countries: Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Timor-Leste.

Enduring the Pandemic: Rapid Survey on the Impact of Covid-19 on MSMEs in Tourism Sector and Households in Cambodia presents the findings from two surveys in Cambodia. The first was Survey of MSMEs in the Tourism Sector, co-developed by the Foundation in partnership with Centre for Policy Studies. The second was Survey on Households, developed and carried out by Angkor Research and Consulting and Future Forum, with contributions and advice from the Foundation. Data present in this report represent the first round of a three-round data collection taking place at two or three-month intervals beginning in May 2020.

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