Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Cambodia’s vital tourism sector has experienced a substantial decline in international visitor numbers during the first nine months of 2026. From January to September, the Kingdom welcomed just 2,464,033 international tourists, marking a sharp decrease of 43.7% compared to the same period in 2025. This concerning data was released by the Ministry of Tourism on October 27th.
The Ministry’s data further revealed the breakdown of top international tourist arrivals for this nine-month period. Vietnamese visitors constituted the largest group, numbering approximately 650,000. They were closely followed by Chinese tourists, estimated at around 640,000, and American visitors, exceeding 140,000. Other significant source markets included France, with over 84,000 tourists; the United Kingdom, with nearly 82,000; Indonesia, with more than 70,000; Australia, almost 67,000; Japan, over 65,000; South Korea, more than 60,000; and Thailand, contributing over 50,000 visitors.
A pervasive trend of decline affected all of Cambodia’s top 10 key tourist source countries. These declines ranged significantly, from 5.6% to over 90% during the period under review. The steepest drop was observed in visitors from Thailand, which plummeted by 94.7%. South Korean arrivals saw a decrease of 52.1%, and Indonesian tourists also experienced a considerable reduction of nearly 40%.
The impact of this downturn is particularly evident in Siem Reap province, home to the iconic Angkor Wat complex, a primary magnet for foreign visitors. During the first nine months of 2026, the number of international tourists purchasing tickets to the Angkor Resort fell by over 27%. Angkor Enterprise confirmed that from January to September 2026, revenue from ticket sales for the Angkor Resort totaled $24,237,756, a decrease of 25.90%. Correspondingly, the total number of visitors who purchased tickets to the Angkor Resort reached 510,528, down 27.61% when compared to the corresponding period in 2025.
Supporting this trend, data from the Cambodia State Secretariat of Civil Aviation also indicated a reduction in air traffic. The three international airports—Techo International Airport, Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, and Sihanoukville International Airport—recorded a total of 46,721 flight operations. This represents a 2% decrease compared to the first nine months of 2025. The total number of passengers, both arriving and departing, amounted to 4,558,155, an 11% drop. However, air cargo volumes showed a positive trend, increasing by 18% to 76,294 tons. Similarly, overflying flights saw an 8% increase, totaling 69,149 flights.
Providing a broader context, the Ministry of Tourism reported that in the entirety of 2025, Cambodia welcomed 5.57 million international tourists. This figure represented a 16.9% decrease compared to 2024. Despite the drop in visitor numbers, revenue generated from international tourists in 2025 amounted to approximately $3,878 million, showing a 6.6% increase over the previous year.
