Cambodia tourism worries casino sector as arrivals fall 45.6%
Cambodia’s tourism saw a sharp decline in the first four months of 2026, with international visitor arrivals falling by almost half compared to a year earlier, adding new pressure on sectors reliant on foreign spending, including the country’s land-based casino industry.
The country welcomed around 1.31 million international visitors between January and April 2026, down 45.6 per cent from roughly 2.4 million during the same period last year.
According to the report released by the Ministry of Tourism, the decline was due to multiple factors, including geopolitical tensions like the Iran conflict, rising travel costs, weaker consumer spending and concerns surrounding online scams. Travel demand is weak, making international tourism more challenging across parts of Asia.
China, Vietnam and US lead arrivals
China remained Cambodia’s largest source market during the period, although arrivals from the country still fell 14.5 per cent year-on-year to around 331,000 visitors. Visitor numbers from neighbouring Vietnam dropped 24 per cent to approximately 312,000, while arrivals from the United States declined 11.5 per cent to about 80,300.
The sharpest fall came from Thailand. Visitor arrivals from the country plunged 95.7 per cent to just under 29,000 travelers, compared with more than 670,000 a year earlier. The decline comes amid continuing tensions along the Cambodia-Thailand border.
That drop is particularly significant for Cambodia’s gaming industry because several border casino markets depend heavily on Thai customers crossing into the country to gamble.
Air travel figures reflected a similar trend. International arrivals by air fell 17 per cent year-on-year to around 839,000 passengers. Phnom Penh International Airport recorded the largest decline, while Siem Reap also reported weaker traffic.
Sihanoukville remains upbeat
One exception was Sihanoukville, which continued to attract an increasing number of visitors. The coastal city welcomed around 199,000 foreign tourists, up 13 per cent from a year earlier, while arrivals through Sihanoukville International Airport more than doubled.
The tourism slowdown can severely impact Cambodia’s casino sector. Fewer tourists could also mean fewer customers for Cambodia’s casinos, many of which depend on overseas visitors for business. Also, local residents are generally barred from gambling in licensed casinos.
The country’s largest gaming operator, NagaCorp, recently reported first-quarter gross gaming revenue of $174.7 million, up 2.1 per cent from a year earlier. While growth remained positive, the numbers were lower than expected. The company had generated gross gaming revenue of $691.6 million in 2025.
Outside Phnom Penh, gaming hubs such as Poipet, Bavet and Sihanoukville remain heavily exposed to international visitor flows. Poipet, in particular, could face challenges if the collapse in Thai visitation continues for an extended period.
The authorities are trying to reverse the tourism downturn. Cambodia plans to introduce a temporary visa-free programme for Chinese nationals between 15 June 2026 and 15 October 2026. Under the scheme, visitors will only need an electronic arrival card and can stay for up to 14 days, with multiple entries permitted.
Industry observers believe the initiative could provide a welcome boost during the second half of the year. For casino operators, however, much may depend on whether tourism demand stabilises in the coming months and whether key source markets begin returning in larger numbers.
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