Border Clashes and Global Tensions Cut Cambodia’s Tourist Arrivals by 17% in 2025

PHNOM PENH, Jan 28, 2026 (KPT) — Cambodia’s tourism sector suffered a sharp setback in 2025 as border clashes with Thailand and wider geopolitical tensions drove international arrivals down nearly 17 percent, despite earlier signs of recovery.

The Ministry of Tourism said the country received 5.57 million foreign visitors last year, compared with 6.7 million in 2024. Officials blamed the decline on global uncertainty and two outbreaks of armed conflict along the Cambodia–Thailand frontier in the second half of the year.

Tourism had shown strong momentum in early 2025, buoyed by new airports, expanded flight connectivity and diversified offerings. But security concerns linked to the clashes, coupled with regional issues such as online scams and cybercrime, slowed growth to 5.1 percent, down from 13.2 percent in 2024.

Visitor data showed uneven impacts across source markets. Vietnam remained the largest contributor with 1.2 million arrivals, down 8.8 percent. China matched that figure but posted a robust rebound of 41.4 percent.

Arrivals from Thailand plunged 52 percent to 1 million. The United States sent 200,000 visitors, down 3.6 percent, while South Korea recorded 150,000, a drop of 20.6 percent.

Thourn Sinan, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s Cambodia chapter, said the downturn came just as the sector was recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

 “Geopolitical tensions are unfolding globally. The world has reached an unpredictable point where anything can happen at any time,” he said.

Despite the fall in arrivals, tourism revenue rose. The National Bank of Cambodia reported earnings of about USD 3.7 billion in 2025, up 3 percent from the previous year, suggesting visitors spent more or stayed longer.