Cambodia sees 5.6 pct drop in int’l tourist arrivals in first 8 months of 2025

Cambodia sees 5.6 pct drop in int’l tourist arrivals in first 8 months of 2025

Cambodia recorded a total of 4.05 million international tourists in the first eight months of 2025, down 5.6 percent from 4.29 million over the same period last year, said a Ministry of Tourism’s report released on Friday.

Thailand topped the chart among the foreign tourist arrivals to the Southeast Asian country during the January-August period this year, followed by Vietnam and China, the report said.

Some 962,462 Thais and 808,471 Vietnamese traveled to Cambodia, down 28.2 percent and 6.9 percent, respectively, the report said, adding that 784,965 Chinese visited the kingdom, up 45.7 percent.

Thong Mengdavid, a lecturer at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy under the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said the decrease in international tourist arrivals reflected both regional economic slowdowns and intensified competition from neighboring destinations, which may have diverted visitors.

“It also highlights the lingering challenges in air connectivity and destination diversification,” he told Xinhua.

“The newly built Techo International Airport will serve as a major gateway to Cambodia, offering greater flight capacity, modern facilities, and improved international connectivity,” he added.

By accommodating more direct long-haul and regional flights, it will make travel to Cambodia more convenient and attractive for tourists, Mengdavid said.

Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia’s economy in addition to garment, footwear and travel goods export, agriculture, and construction and real estate.

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