Cambodia Tourist Arrivals Fall 43.7% as Border Closures and Scam Concerns Hit Travel

Cambodia loses nearly 1.9 million international arrivals

Cambodia recorded 2.46 million international tourist arrivals from January to September 2026, a fall of 43.7% from 4.37 million in the same period of 2025, according to a Ministry of Tourism report released on October 27. The drop represents roughly 1.9 million fewer arrivals in nine months, with border disruption and concerns about online scam networks weighing on travel.

The damage extends to Angkor Archaeological Park, where foreign visitor numbers fell 27.6% and ticket revenue dropped 25.9%. Yet the downturn is uneven: domestic trips rose sharply early in the year, travel by air held up better than land crossings, and Angkor recorded a small increase in ticket revenue in September.

Tourism Minister Huot Hak attributed the national decline to negative publicity surrounding scam operations, friction along the Cambodia and Thailand border, and conflicts in the Middle East that pushed up fuel costs and weakened travel demand. For businesses serving foreign visitors, the pressure comes through both fewer customers and uncertainty about when bookings will recover.

Tourism is one of Cambodia's main economic pillars, alongside agriculture, construction and real estate, and exports of garments, footwear and travel goods. In 2025, the country welcomed 5.57 million international tourists and generated about US$3.87 billion in tourism revenue.

Two connected developments help explain the scale of the fall. Border closures removed large numbers of visitors, including people travelling to casinos. Safety concerns also affected Cambodia's appeal abroad, with South Korea imposing travel bans on several locations in October 2025. Industry representatives are now calling for closer examination of who is counted as a tourist and how different parts of the sector are performing.

How the decline developed through September

The second quarter brought the steepest contraction. Arrivals fell 51.7% to about 738,000, compared with more than 1.52 million a year earlier. The third quarter's decline was smaller, at 29.7%, but its total of about 712,000 visitors was still below the second quarter.

The nine month statistical summary put first quarter arrivals at about 1.04 million, down 44.8%; a detailed first quarter tally gave 1,014,147 arrivals, compared with 1,838,208 in 2025. Both showed a sharp contraction at the start of the year.

The sequence shows how the downturn moved from a difficult opening quarter to a particularly weak spring, followed by smaller annual declines during the summer:

• January to March: arrivals fell 44.8% compared with the same period in 2025.
• April to June: arrivals fell 51.7% to about 738,000. May recorded the largest monthly fall in this period, down 57.5% to about 232,000.
• July: arrivals reached about 246,000, down 29.2% from a year earlier.
• August: arrivals rose to about 255,000, with the annual decline narrowing to 24.7%.
• September: arrivals fell to about 211,000, down 35.4% from September 2025.
• October 1: Angkor Enterprise released its figures for the first nine months.
• October 27: the Ministry of Tourism released the national report.

September interrupted the improvement in annual comparisons seen in July and August. A smaller percentage decline means a destination is closer to its previous year's performance; visitor totals and revenue are still needed to judge how much business has returned.

Vietnam and China account for more than half of arrivals

Vietnam was Cambodia's largest source of international visitors during the first nine months, with 651,486 arrivals, down 28%. China followed closely with 643,314, a decline of 27.6%. The United States supplied 140,276 visitors, down a more modest 5.6%.

Vietnam and China together contributed 1,294,800 arrivals, or about 52.6% of the national total of 2.46 million. Their combined share shows how heavily Cambodia's tourism businesses depend on these two markets. Both fell by more than a quarter, leaving a large gap for other countries to fill.

The United States performed better in percentage terms, but its arrivals were much smaller than either of the leading Asian markets. Its comparatively mild decline therefore offered limited relief to the national total.

The Thai visitor collapse explains much of the early loss

Thailand's decline was especially severe in the first quarter. Arrivals fell 94.8% to 25,867, from 501,666 a year earlier. In March alone, Cambodia recorded 2,155 arrivals from Thailand, compared with 149,732 in March 2025.

Using the detailed first quarter figures, Cambodia lost 475,799 Thai arrivals out of a total international decline of 824,061. Thailand therefore accounted for about 58% of the country's missing arrivals during those three months. The calculation helps explain why disruption at the border had such a large effect on the national figures.

Thourn Sinan, president of the Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia Chapter, said closures along the border halted cross border activity, including trips by Thai visitors to casinos in Cambodia. The effect was concentrated in communities whose businesses depend on people moving between the two countries.

Transport figures show the same pattern. Land and river arrivals fell 66.6% in the first quarter to 350,406, from 1,048,824. Air arrivals declined 15.9% and accounted for 65.4% of all international arrivals. Cambodia was losing visitors through both routes, but the contraction at land and river entry points was far greater.

Why the definition of a tourist matters

Sinan argued that casino travel complicates the interpretation of Cambodia's arrival totals. He recalled that people entering for casinos had been counted differently before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and estimated that tourism's decline would be around 25% if casino visitors were excluded.

His estimate is an industry assessment rather than a revised Ministry of Tourism figure. The national measure remains a 43.7% fall in international tourist arrivals. A narrower measure of leisure travel could give hotels, attractions and other businesses a different picture of demand.

Chhort Bunthang, a research fellow at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, also questioned how closely arrival totals tracked holiday travel. He said earlier figures had included people entering for gambling and people involved in scam operations before major enforcement efforts.

Bunthang called for research into both the causes of the decline and its effects on tourism:

"As someone in academia, I urge that scientific research be conducted into the tourism sector to identify the real causes of the decline in foreign visitors and its wider effects. Such research should not be politicised. We need to examine the real issues, identify our strengths and weaknesses, and determine how we can address them," he said.

Safety concerns have brought formal travel restrictions

South Korea's response shows how concern about scam compounds has moved beyond publicity into official travel restrictions. In October 2025, its Foreign Ministry banned travel to Bavet, Bokor and Poipet following a surge in cases involving Koreans who were lured to Cambodia and detained at scam compounds.

Figures submitted by South Korea's Ministry of Data and Statistics to Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Joon-hwan recorded seven instances in which advisories for Cambodia were issued or raised between 2021 and 2026. That was the highest country total in the dataset, which excluded advisory downgrades.

Six of those actions occurred in 2025. Three concerned instability along the border with Thailand, while three concerned crime in Bavet, Bokor Mountain and Phnom Penh. South Korea's advisory system ranges from Level 1 precautions to a Level 4 travel ban, with special advisories used for urgent risks.

South Korean arrivals to Cambodia fell 66.1% in the first quarter of 2026, from 63,055 to 21,366. The restrictions and the fall in visitors show the concrete challenge Cambodia faces in rebuilding travel confidence in that market.

Bunthang warned that safety fears could continue to deter travellers even after the Cambodian government's announcement that no major online scam centres remained. Sinan similarly argued that restoring confidence would take time and called for those responsible for the crimes to face justice.

Angkor shows a different pattern from the national total

Angkor Enterprise, the state owned operator responsible for ticket sales, recorded 510,528 foreign visitors to Angkor Archaeological Park from January to September. That was down 27.6% from 2025, while ticket revenue fell 25.9% to US$24.23 million.

Angkor's visitor decline was 16.1 percentage points smaller than the national fall of 43.7%. The park and the national border statistics measure different activity: one counts foreign visitors to a particular attraction, while the other records international arrivals across Cambodia.

September was more encouraging for the park. Foreign visitors slipped just 0.32% to 35,535, while ticket revenue rose 3.1% to US$1.69 million. Revenue therefore improved even with a slightly smaller number of visitors.

The park covers 401 square kilometres in Siem Reap province and protects 91 temples built between the ninth and 13th centuries. Its performance matters directly to businesses serving visitors to the temples, although Sinan said international tourists were also exploring Koh Rong, northeastern provinces, the Mekong region, Tonle Sap and other coastal destinations.

Cambodian travellers provide a domestic cushion

Domestic travel moved in the opposite direction during the first quarter. Cambodian travellers made 6.02 million trips within the country, an increase of 58.9% from the same period in 2025.

Phnom Penh recorded a 672.5% increase in domestic visitors, while the Preah Sihanouk coastal zone recorded growth of 101.9%. Domestic visitors to Siem Reap Angkor fell 8%, showing that the increase in travel was distributed unevenly across destinations.

For accommodation providers, restaurants and attractions receiving more Cambodian guests, that spending offers a source of business while international demand is weak. The national tourism picture is therefore broader than the foreign arrival decline alone.

Domestic trips and international arrivals measure different things, and a person can make several domestic trips. Revenue figures are needed to show how far spending by Cambodian travellers has replaced lost foreign visitor spending. No national tourism revenue total for the first nine months of 2026 was given.

Recovery depends on access and confidence

Thong Mengdavid, deputy director of the China-ASEAN Studies Center at the Cambodia University of Technology and Science, expressed optimism that arrivals would recover in coming years. He identified action against scams, fewer travel barriers and attention to safety concerns as ways to attract new and returning visitors.

Mengdavid linked the government's response to crime with Cambodia's reputation among travellers:

"Cambodia's firm commitment to tackling online scams will restore its international reputation and rebuild trust among global travelers," he said.

Air connections are another part of the recovery discussion. Sinan cited Vietnam as an exception among declining tourism destinations in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and pointed to its air connectivity. Cambodia's own first quarter figures show that arrivals by air contracted much less sharply than arrivals by land and river.

The figures point to several different tasks: restoring border activity, addressing safety concerns, maintaining access by air and understanding where domestic demand is growing. Angkor's steadier September performance offers some encouragement, while the national fall that month shows that recovery is still uneven.

Key Points

• Cambodia recorded 2.46 million international tourist arrivals in January to September 2026, down 43.7% from 2025.
• Vietnam and China together supplied about 52.6% of arrivals, with both markets declining by more than a quarter.
• Thailand accounted for about 58% of the lost international arrivals in the detailed first quarter tally.
• South Korea imposed travel bans on Bavet, Bokor and Poipet in October 2025 following cases involving scam compounds.
• Angkor received 510,528 foreign visitors in nine months, down 27.6%, and earned US$24.23 million from tickets.
• Domestic trips rose 58.9% to 6.02 million in the first quarter, providing business for some destinations.
• Industry representatives called for better measurement of leisure tourism and action to rebuild visitor confidence.