PHNOM PENH, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's international arrivals plunged 47.9 percent to 1.75 million in the first half of 2026, down from 3.36 million during the same period last year, according to a Ministry of Tourism report released Friday.
The report identified China, Vietnam, and the United States as the country's top three inbound tourism markets from January to June.
Specifically, Cambodia attracted 452,263 Chinese visitors, 447,692 Vietnamese visitors, and 104,636 American visitors, the report said, adding that these figures represented year-on-year declines of 22.9 percent, 27.7 percent, and 11.3 percent, respectively.
Thong Mengdavid, deputy director of the China-ASEAN Studies Center at the Cambodia University of Technology and Science, attributed the downturn to regional economic slowdowns, regional online scamming concerns, and the impact of border disputes with Thailand.
"The significant drop was also fueled by conflicts in the Middle East, which triggered flight disruptions and high fuel prices," Mengdavid told Xinhua.
Tourism remains one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy, alongside agriculture, construction and real estate, and the export of garments, footwear, and travel goods.
In 2025, the Southeast Asian country recorded 5.57 million international visitors, generating 3.87 billion U.S. dollars in gross revenue. ■
