Cambodia’s tourism sector is at the crossroads. For a little over one and a half years, there has been a steady downturn in tourist arrivals. The latest report from the Ministry of Tourism presents a staggering decline of 47.9 percent to 1.75 million in the first half of 2026, down from 3.36 million a year earlier. Tourism, it needs no reiteration, remains one of the country’s four primary economic engines. In other words, the decline in visitor volumes directly imperils the country’s broader economic trajectory. From time to time, the ministry concerned and other stakeholders often remind us of challenges that are beyond their reach to address. Contrast this with the neighbouring countries: they have invested heavily in tourism promotion, opening new flights, visa exemptions, and offering attractive tour packages. Khmer Times caught up with two different experts to give us alternative solutions. Both concede that Cambodia should focus on high-potential markets such as China, India, South Korea, Japan, Europe, the US, and the ASEAN market, and use digital and social media more effectively to attract tourists. Cambodia’s tourism sector has significant potential for recovery, but achieving sustainable growth will require sustained efforts from both the public and private sectors and everyone involved
Going by the latest statistics, the overall scenario of the tourism sector presents a grim outlook with international arrivals falling 47.9 percent to 1.75 million in the first half of 2026, down from 3.36 million a year earlier.
Given that tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia’s economy—alongside agriculture, construction, and manufacturing exports—the Ministry of Tourism’s bleak report has sparked deep concern among industry observers.
The downturn in international arrivals has been attributed to several internal and external factors. According to the Chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Cambodia Chapter, Thourn Sinan, the decline in international tourist arrivals in the first half of 2026 is not due to a single cause but rather a combination of domestic and international factors.
Speaking to Khmer Times, Sinan said, “First, the global economic situation is still not fully stable, which has caused many travellers to reduce their travel expenses and shift to more competitive destinations. Second, competition in the ASEAN countries is intensifying. Neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia have invested heavily in tourism promotion, opening new flights, visa exemptions, and offering highly attractive tour packages.”
Arrivals slid
Much on the same lines, Chedy Tech, socioeconomic researcher and analyst, enumerated the causes behind this decline, emphasising six contributing factors: “Geopolitical tension and the conflict in the Middle East have affected global tourism activities, especially those of Cambodia’s. The war affects the global economy and its supply chains, raising the global inflation rate, which in turn affects consumers’ incomes. When household incomes shrink, travel plans are also reduced or postponed.”
Transport routes from Europe to Asia usually cut through the Middle East; thus, the war there may subsequently reduce air travel from the big market due to the fear of security and safety. The rise in airfares due to rising oil prices is also another factor hindering inbound tourism, he told Khmer Times.
Second, online scam and human trafficking raid campaigns are another contributing factor, causing the decline in travellers’ confidence in visiting the country due to safety concerns.
Third, the ongoing conflict with neighbouring Thailand has lasted for more than a year. A large number of tourists visiting Thailand will eventually visit Cambodia as part of their itinerary.
Therefore, the closure of the land border prevents tourists visiting Thailand from continuing their journey into Cambodia, even if Thailand may experience the same decline.
Fourth, the internal tourism management of Cambodia. Tourism management remains inadequate in terms of infrastructure, services, products and hospitality. Cambodia’s tourism promotion to outside markets is also limited compared to neighbouring countries.
Fifth, the complexity of visa procedures is an issue. Tech spoke of his friend’s experience obtaining travel documents, particularly visa processing procedures, saying that the visa application procedure is very complicated.
“My Bangladeshi friend had to apply for two visas to enter Cambodia. Before, visa application requests were made through the Foreign Affairs Ministry via an online platform; after January 2026, the work has been transferred to the immigration general department of the Interior Ministry. So, those who already applied for an e-visa had to reapply for a second visa via the immigration unit,” he said.
“Although payment has been made, the visa was nowhere to be found, causing his friend to cancel his entire trip to Cambodia,” Tech noted. “This is just one case among many others. This does not simplify the tourist visa application process but rather places an additional burden on them,” he added.
Sixth, the cost of travelling in Cambodia is higher than that of other regional countries such as Vietnam and Laos in terms of accommodation, food, and other services. Furthermore, tourist scams are among the major concerns driving tourists away and damaging Cambodia’s image.
Intervention measures
When asked if the concerned authorities have taken any action upon knowing these factors that hinder the development of Cambodia’s tourism sector, Sinan said, “I believe that restoring tourism growth is not the sole responsibility of the MoT, but is a shared responsibility of the government, the private sector, local communities, and all citizens, because tourism is an industry that involves many sectors.”
He recommended five strategies for the promotion of Cambodia’s potential tourism sector to regain its momentum. According to Sinan, Cambodia must continue to strengthen its tourism promotion to international markets, focusing on high-potential markets such as China, India, South Korea, Japan, Europe, the United States, and the ASEAN market, and use digital and social media more effectively.
Cambodia must continue to strengthen international flight connections and encourage airlines to operate direct flights to the country, because convenient travel is an important factor in tourists’ decisions.
We must continue to develop new tourism products, not just Angkor, but also promote beach and island tourism, nature tourism, community tourism, agricultural tourism, food tourism, wellness tourism, and sports tourism to increase the length of stay and spending of visitors, he said.
On improving service quality, he said, “modern visitors do not only look at price, but they want a good experience, safety, cleanliness, hospitality, and professional service. Therefore, human resource training and strengthening service standards are points that need to be implemented continuously.”
He said that organising international events such as exhibitions, sports competitions and cultural events should be further promoted because they help attract quality visitors and help promote Cambodia to the world.
Sinan emphasised that private sector involvement is crucial stating that tourism associations, hotels, tour operators, airlines and investors must collaborate with the Cambodian government to design fresh travel packages, launch joint marketing campaigns, and exchange market data. “If we continue to work together with a common vision and effective implementation, I believe that Cambodia’s tourism sector will be able to restore growth and move towards sustainable development in the future.”
Lagging indicators
In May, the Ministry of Tourism launched the 2026 Tourism Statistics Forecasts to estimate the number of tourists for the whole year based on the actual situation and divided it into three cases.
The forecasts present three potential trajectories for Cambodia’s tourism sector based on regional stability. In the worst-case scenario of prolonged global and domestic crises, foreign arrivals are expected to stall between 4.6 and 4.8 million. A moderate outcome, where border tensions with Thailand remain unresolved, but other issues stabilise, projects 5.3 to 5.5 million visitors. In the best-case scenario of full conflict resolution, international arrivals are anticipated to surge to between 6.1 and 6.3 million.
In reality, in the first half of 2026, Cambodia received about 2.3 million international visitors, while in the first five months, the number of visitors fell by about 47.8 percent compared to the same period last year. In the first quarter, Cambodia received about 1.01 million, a decrease of 44.8 percent. This significant numerical discrepancy signals a serious vulnerability for the tourism sector.
Based on the current situation, it would be premature to be overly optimistic about the figures and market conditions, Sinan noted. Without major changes and effective marketing measures, Cambodia will only receive about 4.5 million to 5 million international visitors this year, which is roughly the same as the MoT’s projection in the first case scenario.
Reaching a higher level will be difficult if key markets continue to decline, flights do not increase and Cambodia’s destination image is not restored quickly, he added.
According to Sinan, this number can be improved if we start acting immediately rather than waiting until the end of the year, by preparing a clear marketing budget, empowering the private sector to participate, and changing the mindset from sitting around waiting for guests to going out to find the market.
“We must recognise that in 2025, Cambodia received about 5.57 million international visitors, a decrease of 16.9 percent from 2024. Therefore, the further sharp decline in 2026 shows that this problem is not just a short-term problem, but a problem that requires a strategic and urgent response.”
“One important factor that we must be honest about is that Cambodia’s destination marketing is still weak,” he stressed, stating that the government and the MoT have limited budgets, while regional competitors spend a lot of money on advertising, inviting tour operators, media, content creators, and organising campaigns in the target markets.
Sinan further emphasised the need to examine the behaviour of some tour operators. Many businesses are still sitting around waiting for visitors to knock on their doors, but they are not involved in marketing, investing in sales, participating in exhibitions, developing new products, or meeting with partners abroad. “When there are no visitors, they complain or wait for the government to do everything for them,” he stated, adding that this behaviour must change.
“In the current competitive environment, visitors do not come to us automatically. We must go to the market, meet buyers, build relationships, create tourism packages, and show why Cambodia should be chosen over other destinations,” according to the PATA Cambodia Chapter President.
Diversify packages
Policymakers need to draft a comprehensive framework for nationwide destination management. The government should clearly prepare a national destination marketing budget and use it through public-private partnership mechanisms. The state does not have to implement all the campaigns itself but can allocate funds or provide joint funding to associations and private companies that understand the market, have international networks, and can demonstrate clear work plans, goals, and performance indicators, Sinan explained.
The government can provide co-investment funds for campaigns in China, India, Korea, Japan, Europe, the US, and ASEAN, while the private sector participates in tour packages, hotel rooms, airfare, transportation, and sales channels. This is joint marketing that can measure results, not general advertising without accountability, he provided an example.
Tourism recovery requires a joint plan, a joint budget, joint action, and joint responsibility. “We also need to stop the culture of pointing fingers,” Sinan urged, citing that the state should not say that the private sector is not involved, while the private sector should not say that the government is not doing anything.
What Cambodia needs now is not just new slogans, but a plan with budgets, responsibilities, clear timelines, and measurable results, he concluded.
On his part, Tech argued and projected confidently that through observation and critical analysis of the abovementioned six factors, Cambodia’s tourism sector will not bounce back for the remaining five months of 2026, and even further in the year ahead.
Looking ahead, Cambodia should shift its focus from relying primarily on its iconic Angkor Archaeological Park to developing a more diversified tourism industry. Restoring Cambodia’s tourism industry will require more than short-term promotional campaigns.
Cambodia still has some challenges to improve, such as insufficient direct flight connections from major markets, insufficient international market promotion, limited use of digital technology to attract tourists, and the creation of new tourism products that can meet the needs of modern tourists still needs to be strengthened.
The Kingdom must also recognise that the image and perception (destination image) of the country on social media and international press has a strong influence on tourists’ decisions. Therefore, information management, positive information dissemination, and building international trust are also important factors.
Although Cambodia’s tourism sector is facing one of its most challenging periods in recent years, the country’s long-term prospects remain promising. “Cambodia’s tourism potential is still strong,” Sinan expressed his firm belief.
According to him, Cambodia has a rich cultural heritage, beautiful beaches, and islands, as well as ecotourism, community tourism, food tourism and wellness tourism, which are attracting increasing attention from international markets.
Sinan sees this decline as an opportunity for us to review our strategies, improve service quality, develop new products, expand new markets, and strengthen collaboration between the government and the private sector.
Cambodia’s tourism sector has significant potential for recovery, but achieving sustainable growth will require coordinated efforts from both the public and private sectors and everyone involved.
“If we can do this systematically and with the participation of all parties, I believe that the sector will be able to recover strongly and sustainably,” Sinan noted.
Tech expressed his disappointment that even if Cambodia has so many attractive tourist attractions, including beaches, seas, islands, temples, agrotourism, ecotourism, cultural tourism, and almost everything in the tourism ecosystem, we still cannot fully make use of those advantages.
Cambodia, according to Tech, is supposed to be moving forward, but the country’s tourism sector is moving backwards. “We are supposed to be ‘three steps ahead’, but we are now ‘three steps back’, so in total, we lost six steps,” he said cryptically.
