Cambodia: International Arrivals Fall 43.7% in First Nine Months; Chinese Visitors Still Second-Largest Group at 643,314
Cambodia received 2,464,033 international visitors in the first nine months of 2026, down 43.7% year on year, according to a Ministry of Tourism report released on October 27. Chinese arrivals fell 27.6% to 643,314, leaving China as Cambodia's second-largest source market.
Vietnam remained the largest market with 651,486 arrivals, down 28.1% from 906,398 a year earlier, while the United States was third with 140,276 arrivals, down 5.6%. Vietnam and China together accounted for about 52.6% of all international arrivals. By mode of entry, land arrivals fell 61.2% to about 867,500 and air arrivals fell 26.3% to 1.54 million, while international arrivals through Sihanoukville International Airport rose 68.5% to approximately 73,700, bucking the national decline.
Domestic tourism moved in the opposite direction, recording 27.2 million trips in the first nine months, up 46% year on year.
Tourism Minister Huot Hak attributed the decline to negative publicity surrounding online scam networks, tensions along the Cambodia-Thailand border, and Middle East conflicts that raised fuel costs and weakened global travel demand. He called for closer cooperation between government agencies and private businesses to strengthen promotion, diversify tourism products and improve service quality.
The reporting period covered most of Cambodia's four-month visa-free trial for Chinese passport holders, which ran from June 15 to October 15, 2026 and allowed multiple entries with stays of up to 14 days per visit. Chinese arrivals nevertheless remained below year-earlier levels, with September arrivals down 46.9% to approximately 55,300, following declines in July and August.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：柬埔寨吴哥窟日出，吴哥考古公园是柬埔寨最主要的旅游吸引物。照片：Reinhard Onasch，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Photo: Reinhard Onasch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
