Cambodia’s tourism industry faced a challenging first half of 2026 as international visitor numbers dropped sharply, leading to a significant decline in tourism revenue. According to figures released by the National Bank of Cambodia on July 30, 2026, the country earned $1.4 billion from international tourism during the first six months of the year, a decline of 31.5 percent compared with the same period in 2025. While the slowdown raised concerns for businesses that rely on overseas travelers, a remarkable increase in domestic tourism helped reduce the overall impact on the industry. The latest figures highlight both the vulnerabilities and resilience of Cambodia’s tourism sector as it adapts to changing global conditions.
The decline reflects several external challenges, including regional border disruptions, geopolitical instability, reduced international flight connectivity, and concerns surrounding Cambodia’s international image. Despite these obstacles, local travel continued to grow rapidly, demonstrating strong domestic demand and creating new opportunities for tourism operators, investors, hospitality businesses, and destination developers across the country.
International Tourism Revenue Records Sharp Decline
The National Bank of Cambodia reported that international tourism revenue reached $1.4 billion during the first half of 2026, representing a 31.5 percent decline compared with the same period last year. Tourism sector growth also slowed significantly, expanding by only 0.1 percent compared with 6.1 percent a year earlier.
International visitor arrivals dropped to 1.8 million, a steep decline from 3.4 million visitors during the first half of 2025. Even after excluding travelers from Thailand, foreign arrivals still decreased by 29.6 percent, highlighting broader weakness across Cambodia’s international tourism markets. More details are available from the National Bank of Cambodia’s official reports.
Key Tourism Markets Continue to Support Cambodia
Despite the overall decline, China remained Cambodia’s largest international tourism market, contributing 25.8 percent of total arrivals. Vietnam ranked second with 25.6 percent, while the United States accounted for 6 percent of all foreign visitors.
These figures show that regional markets continue to play a vital role in Cambodia’s tourism recovery. For tourism businesses, airlines, hotels, travel agencies, and investors, strengthening relationships with these core markets will remain essential for rebuilding visitor numbers during the second half of the year.
Multiple Factors Behind the Slowdown
Several issues combined to weaken Cambodia’s tourism performance during the first half of 2026. One of the biggest challenges was the closure of the Cambodia Thailand land border, which significantly reduced cross border travel. At the same time, international media attention surrounding online scam operations affected Cambodia’s tourism reputation.
Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East also contributed to weaker travel demand. Weekly flights between Cambodia and Middle Eastern destinations fell from approximately 52 services to just 44, reducing connectivity and limiting travel options for international visitors.
Air Travel Declines While Angkor Revenue Falls
Foreign arrivals through Cambodia’s airports declined by 22.8 percent during the first half of the year. Visitor arrivals by land and waterways experienced an even steeper fall of 66.4 percent, reflecting the heavy impact of border restrictions.
The slowdown also affected Cambodia’s most iconic tourism destination. Ticket revenue at Angkor Archaeological Park declined by 29.8 percent to $18.5 million, demonstrating how fewer international visitors directly impacted one of the country’s most important tourism assets.
Domestic Tourism Becomes the Bright Spot
While international tourism weakened, domestic travel expanded rapidly. Cambodian residents made 21.9 million domestic trips during the first half of 2026, representing impressive growth of 50.5 percent compared with the previous year.
Phnom Penh attracted the largest share of domestic travelers at 63.4 percent, followed by Cambodia’s coastal destinations with 24 percent. Siem Reap welcomed 6.8 percent of domestic visitors, while ecotourism destinations accounted for 1.3 percent. According to the National Bank of Cambodia, new tourism products, festivals, and supporting events helped encourage more Cambodians to travel within the country.
Industry Sees Long Term Recovery Opportunities
Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia chairman Thourn Sinan said the slowdown reflected global uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and intensifying competition in ASEAN, but welcomed the government’s crackdown on online scam networks, saying it could help restore Cambodia’s image.
His assessment suggests that while current challenges remain significant, improving Cambodia’s international reputation could strengthen traveler confidence and support future tourism recovery.
Second Half Recovery Becomes Increasingly Important
Cambodia welcomed 5.57 million international visitors in 2025, a decrease of 16.7 percent from the previous year. However, tourism revenue still increased by 6.6 percent to $3.88 billion, showing that visitor spending remained relatively strong.
The government is targeting between 5.6 million and 5.8 million international tourists in 2026. Achieving that goal will depend heavily on stronger performance during the second half of the year. For businesses, investors, airlines, hotels, and tourism operators, the coming months will be critical in determining whether Cambodia can regain momentum and restore confidence in one of its most important economic sectors.
Conclusion
Cambodia’s tourism industry is navigating a difficult period shaped by regional disruptions and global uncertainty. Although international arrivals and tourism revenue have fallen sharply, the strong growth in domestic travel demonstrates that demand for tourism remains active within the country. Continued efforts to improve Cambodia’s international image, strengthen connectivity, develop new tourism experiences, and attract key overseas markets will be essential to achieving a stronger recovery. For investors and tourism businesses, the sector continues to present long term opportunities as Cambodia works toward rebuilding visitor confidence and sustainable growth.