Cambodia’s int’l tourist arrivals plunge 43.7 pct in Jan.-Sept.

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) — International tourist arrivals to Cambodia plummeted 43.7 percent year-on-year to 2.46 million during the first nine months of 2026, dropping steeply from 4.37 million in the same period last year, according to a Ministry of Tourism report released Tuesday.

The data highlights Vietnam, China, and the United States as the kingdom’s primary inbound tourism markets from January to September.

Regional arrivals suffered heavy contractions, with Vietnamese visitors dropping 28 percent to 651,486 and Chinese travelers declining 27.6 percent to 643,314, the report said, adding that inbound travel from the United States experienced a milder contraction, falling 5.6 percent to 140,276.

Cambodian Minister of Tourism Huot Hak attributed the downward trend to severe regional and global headwinds.

He noted that the slump was largely driven by negative publicity surrounding online scam networks, friction along the Cambodia-Thailand border, and conflicts in the Middle East that have driven up fuel prices and dampened global travel enthusiasm.

Tourism remains a foundational pillar of Cambodia’s economy alongside agriculture, construction and real estate, and manufacturing exports like garments, footwear, and travel goods.

This massive decline stands in stark contrast to the entirety of 2025, when the Southeast Asian nation welcomed 5.57 million international tourists and generated approximately 3.87 billion U.S. dollars in gross revenue.

Thong Mengdavid, deputy director of the China-ASEAN Studies Center at the Cambodia University of Technology and Science, expressed strong optimism that international tourist numbers will bounce back in the coming years.

“Cambodia’s firm commitment to tackling online scams will restore its international reputation and rebuild trust among global travelers,” he told Xinhua. “By lowering travel barriers and actively addressing safety concerns, Cambodia will certainly win back both first-time and returning global travelers.”