Cambodia’s Tourism Rebound Accelerates, Nearing 5 Million Arrivals as Chinese Market Leads the Charge

• 4 December 2025
• Property Focus
• 915 Views

With 4.8 million international visitors recorded in the first ten months of 2025, the Kingdom leans heavily on its strategic ‘Tourism Year’ campaign with China to cement its post-pandemic recovery and drive economic growth.

Cambodia’s crucial tourism sector has posted a strong recovery in 2025, welcoming approximately 4.8 million international tourists in the first ten months of the year, government officials announced last week. The latest figures show the country’s progress toward pre-pandemic levels, a trajectory heavily reliant on the steady return of visitors from its largest source market, China.

The data, released by Minister of Tourism Huot Hak during the opening of the Cambodia-China Tourism Forum 2025 in Siem Reap on November 27, confirmed that nearly one million Chinese nationals arrived in the Kingdom between January and October. This robust performance solidifies China’s role as the leading source of long-haul visitors and a key partner in Cambodia’s economic revival efforts.

The Minister emphasized the profound economic significance of this partnership, noting that the sector’s future is “inseparable from the inflows of Chinese tourists and investors.” Tourism is recognized as one of the four main pillars of Cambodia’s economy, contributing significantly to its long-term vision of becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2030.

The two nations are currently celebrating the “Cambodia-China Tourism Year,” a high-level initiative launched under the theme “Seizing the Opportunity of the Chinese Tourism Market Towards Building a Shared Future Community.” The campaign, which is set to continue through 2026, aims to deepen bilateral cooperation, strengthen flight connectivity, and foster people-to-people ties through cultural events and promotional activities.

While the return of nearly one million Chinese tourists marks a strong recovery from the pandemic’s low, it indicates that the market still has significant room for growth compared to 2019, when Cambodia hosted a staggering 2.3 million Chinese visitors. Experts credit the current growth to improved flight routes, targeted marketing, and China’s expanding middle class, expressing renewed interest in Cambodia’s cultural heritage sites like the Angkor Wat temple complex.

The Ministry stressed that with the continued influx of foreign visitors, the nation must ensure it is fully prepared to handle the sustained growth. The government has set an ambitious target of reaching seven million international tourists for the entire year 2025, meaning the last two months of the year will require a substantial surge in arrivals.

Increased tourism spending is expected to bring significant benefits to local communities, boosting jobs in hospitality and retail, and supporting vital infrastructure development and cultural preservation projects.

Meanwhile, according to a report from the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, the number of air travelers has also increased. (Read more)

• Tourism and Travelling
• MoT
• Cambodia-China Tourism Forum