PHNOM PENH, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's international tourist arrivals plunged 44.4 percent to 2.25 million in the first eight months of 2026, down sharply from 4.05 million during the same period last year, according to a Ministry of Tourism report released Wednesday.
The report identified China, Vietnam, and the United States as the kingdom's top three inbound tourism markets from January to August.
Specifically, Cambodia attracted 588,051 Chinese visitors, down 25 percent year on year; 585,711 Vietnamese visitors, down 27.6 percent; and 129,876 American visitors, down 7.3 percent.
Cambodian Minister of Tourism Huot Hak recently attributed the downturn to heavy regional and global headwinds.
He noted that the drop was primarily driven by negative publicity surrounding online scam networks, friction along the Cambodia-Thailand border, and geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East that have driven up fuel prices and dampened global travel enthusiasm.
Tourism remains one of the four economic pillars supporting Cambodia, alongside agriculture, construction and real estate, and manufacturing exports such as garments, footwear, and travel goods. ■