The Tourism Ministry’s latest report showed that Cambodia received 4.05 million international tourist arrivals in the first eight months of 2025, down 5.6% year on year amid Cambodia–Thailand border tensions. The Chinese market nevertheless grew strongly.
Chinese arrivals reached 784,000, up 45.7%, making China Cambodia’s third-largest source market. Thai arrivals fell 28.2%, from 1.34 million a year earlier to 962,400, but Thailand remained first. Viet Nam was second with 808,400 arrivals, down 6.9%.
Air arrivals totalled 1.88 million, up 22.4%. Phnom Penh International Airport received 1.416 million, up 25.2%; Siem Reap Angkor International Airport received 427,900, up 9%; and Sihanouk International Airport received 36,600, up 186%.
Among major destinations, Phnom Penh received 1.3416 million foreign visitors, down 13%; Siem Reap received 669,600, up 2.7%; and Preah Sihanouk province received 276,000, up 25%.
The ministry recalled that Cambodia received 6.7 million international arrivals in 2024, generating US$3.63 billion in revenue and accounting for 9.4% of GDP.
Looking ahead in 2025, the ministry forecast 7.2 million to 7.5 million international arrivals. To attract visitors, the government reduced electronic visa fees from this year: the tourist e-Visa T fell from US$36 to US$30, and the ordinary e-Visa E from US$42 to US$35. The Angkor ticket system was also upgraded to automated ticketing to improve convenience and the visitor experience.
Industry observers said that, despite short-term geopolitical volatility, the return of Chinese visitors and rapid growth in destinations such as Sihanoukville demonstrated the continuing recovery and resilience of Cambodia’s tourism sector.
Compiled by KPS99TV
