Total international tourist arrivals rose by 22.7% year-on-year to reach 3,166,497 visitors at the end of the first half of 2024. Although the statistics need to be qualified due to the lack of segmentation (length of stay and precise reason for stay), one notable fact is that visitors from France come eighth in the top 10 and become the leading European visitors (65,979), just ahead of the United Kingdom (61,876).
If the trend continues, the number of French tourists could exceed the figures for 2023, when 106,625 visitors from France arrived in the Kingdom. This represented an increase of 88.7% compared with 2022, which is significant but not very telling, given that the benchmark year saw all arrivals score between +65% and +300%.
In terms of reasons for staying (3 categories only), the breakdown of visitors from France for this period is as follows:
Holidays: 49,223
Business: 5,771
Other: 10,985
It should also be noted that of the 65,979 visitors, 29,292 were women, so slightly more men are inclined to visit the Kingdom.
Once again, it would be interesting to have more segmented and comprehensive statistics, such as the origin of French-speaking visitors (diaspora), the length of stay and the average basket value on holidays.
Finally, the other French-speaking countries in Europe represent
Switzerland: 8,024
Belgium: 6,249
Luxembourg: 328
Monaco: 17
However, despite efforts to promote the Kingdom through business and other forums, and diplomatic relations that have improved considerably since Prime Minister Hun Manet's visit last January, the French are not (yet) among the top 5 business travellers. In fact, international business travel to Cambodia increased by 29.0% year-on-year to 653,294 visitors in the first half of 2024 and the top five come from China (42.4%), Vietnam (20.7%), Indonesia (9.0%), Thailand (5.5%) and Taiwan (3.5%), representing an overall recovery of 93.8% compared to the same period in 2019.
International business travel from China unsurprisingly remains in the lead with a year-on-year increase of 37.9% to 276,672 visitors in the first half of 2024, representing a recovery rate of 51.0% compared to the same period in 2019.
Investment and tourists from France have been at the heart of many forums and debates this year and, while the trends are encouraging today, many points likely to hold back faster growth in French visitors and investors were highlighted on these occasions, in particular the image deficit, the lack of comprehensive, well-targeted communication and the fact that Cambodia is still too often perceived as an extension of a trip to Southeast Asia, with Angkor Wat still too often considered the Kingdom's main attraction, despite its eco-tourism destinations, coastal regions and the many cultural attractions of Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Battambang, etc.
The list of suggested improvements is still long, but things are changing and the Royal Government has no shortage of initiatives to communicate, facilitate the stay of tourists and get the sector back on track. The same goes for the private sector, with a lot of optimistic statements and initiatives on investment and the future of Cambodian tourism, while at the same time pointing out - and this is a recurring leitmotif - a certain press that is intent on highlighting news stories, crime problems and other “clickable” topics over and over again.
ASEAN
Total international tourist arrivals increased by 22.7% y-o-y to 3,166,497 visitors and arrivals from ASEAN increased by 20.4% y-o-y to 1,978,985 visitors in the first half of 2024, representing recovery rates of 94.8% and 197.3% respectively compared to the same period in 2019.
For June 2024, total international tourist arrivals and arrivals from ASEAN were 525,498 and 368,909 visitors, a sequential increase of 0.2% and 0.5% respectively compared to May 2024.
Markets
Among the top 10 markets, Thailand remains the most important with 30.2%, followed by Vietnam (20.2%). However, it would be interesting to have more details on the nature and duration of stays in these two markets.
The other markets remain China (12.3%), Laos (6.0%), the United States (3.5%), Korea (3.2%), Indonesia (2.6%), France (2.1%), the United Kingdom (2.0%) and Japan (1.7%).
These top 10 markets accounted for 83.7% of total tourist arrivals, up 24.4% year-on-year to 2,650,464 visitors in the first half of 2024.
Routes
Air and land/inland waterway arrivals increased by 26.2% y-o-y to 1,151,890 visitors and by 20.8% y-o-y to 2,014,607 visitors in the first half of 2024. For June 2024, arrivals by air were 165,455 visitors, representing a sequential increase of 2.5% on May 2024.
Arrivals via Phnom Penh International Airport increased by 23.2% year-on-year to 831,531 visitors in the first half of 2024. For June 2024, arrivals via Phnom Penh International Airport were 132,524 visitors, a sequential increase of 2.4% compared to May 2024.
Arrivals from China increased by 45.2% year-on-year to 389,360 visitors in the first half of 2024, representing a 30.1% recovery compared to the same period in 2019.
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