Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) reports that Cambodia's tourism recovery is under pressure due to a combination of external factors, leading to a continued decline in international tourist arrivals. To offset the downside risks in the inbound tourism market and stabilize the industry, the Cambodian government has launched the "Green Season Visit Cambodia" campaign, encouraging domestic travel and promoting unique rainy season tourism resources to support the industry's development.
According to an official statement released at the Cambodian Cabinet meeting on June 26, Cambodia's tourism industry continues to suffer from external shocks. The situation at the Cambodia-Thailand border, the crackdown on cross-border online fraud, and the conflict in the Middle East, among other factors, have weakened international tourists' confidence and suppressed foreign tourists' willingness to travel to Cambodia, creating significant uncertainty for the recovery of inbound tourism.
Officials acknowledge that due to the complex external environment, Cambodia's tourism industry will remain in a slow recovery phase in the short term. In response, the government has clearly stated that the "Green Season Visit Cambodia" campaign will be a key tool to fully support and revitalize the domestic tourism market, fill the gap in inbound tourism, and ensure the stable and sustainable development of the tourism industry.
In response to the next phase of tourism revitalization efforts, the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism has outlined several core development strategies: continuously strengthening industry governance and cross-departmental collaboration; leveraging the current Green Season theme activities to enrich tourism product offerings and promote product diversification and upgrading; comprehensively improving the quality of tourism services and the professional capabilities of practitioners; and accelerating the digital transformation of the tourism industry to comprehensively enhance operational and management efficiency.
Industry data shows that Cambodia's tourism market is experiencing a recovery pattern of "cold externally, hot internally." In the first five months of this year, Cambodia received over 1.5 million international tourists, nearly halved compared to the same period in 2022, and more than 1 million fewer than the same period last year, a year-on-year decrease of over 14%, indicating a slow recovery in inbound tourism. In contrast, domestic leisure tourism saw a year-on-year increase of over 50%, with local tourism consumption continuing to be released, becoming a core pillar supporting the stable operation of Cambodia's tourism industry.
Against this backdrop, the Cambodian government will continue to deepen the "Green Tourism" theme activities, continuously tapping into the potential of local tourism consumption and revitalizing the domestic market, using strong domestic demand to offset unfavorable external factors and steadily promote the high-quality and sustainable recovery of the tourism industry. (End)
