Tourism operators see the Cambodia–Thailand crisis as an opportunity for Cambodia to strengthen its tourism sector. They said the conflict, which they attributed to Thai military aggression against Cambodia, had closed the countries’ land border and severely affected tourism.
According to an Angkor Enterprise report, the number of foreign visitors buying Angkor attraction tickets in December 2025, during what the report described as the Thai military’s second attack on Cambodia, fell by nearly 30 percent compared with December 2024.
Nevertheless, operators expected the visa-exemption policy for Chinese tourists to help visitor numbers recover. They also asked the government to continue considering exemptions for other target markets, such as India.
El Samphos, manager of Phum Trang restaurant in Sla Kram sangkat, Siem Reap, said his business had performed well before the border conflict but declined at the end of 2025 during the Thai military’s aggression against Cambodia.
Another Siem Reap tourism operator, Duch Sareth, expressed similar views but believed the crisis had created a new opportunity for Cambodian tourism.
Speaking at a press conference on the evening of January 17,2026, Sareth said the conflict had created new opportunities, particularly through changes in how visitors travelled.
He said: “Visitors previously chose land-border travel, but now they have shifted to flights from various cities to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. This is also an opportunity for Cambodia, with major airports now operational, including Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport and Techo International Airport in Phnom Penh.” By Pai Sokhim.
