Tourism in Cambodia

Tourists at Angkor Wat.

Year	Tourism arrivals	Change	References
2021	196,495	85.0%	[3]
2020	1,306,143	80.2%	[4]
2019	6,610,592	6.6%	[5]
2018	6,201,077	10.7%	[6]
2017	5,602,157	11.7%	[7]
2016	5,011,712	4.95%	[8]
2015	4,775,231	6.1%	[9]
2014	4,502,775	7.0%	[10]
2013	4,210,165	17.5%	[11]
2012	3,584,307	24.4%	[12]
2011	2,881,862	14.9%	[13]
2010	2,508,289	16.0%	[14]
2009	2,161,577	1.7%	[15]
2008	2,125,465	1.5%	[16]
2007	2,015,128	18.5%	[17]
2006	1,700,041	19.6%	[18]
2005	1,421,615	34.7%	[19]
2004	1,055,202	50.5%	[20]

Ranking of international visitor arrivals[21]

Rank	Country or territory	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011
*	ASEAN	2,067,504	2,161,254	2,121,220	2,097,758	1,918,130	1,831,507	1,514,267	1,101,111
1	China	2,024,443	1,210,782	830,003	694,712	560,335	463,123	333,894	247,197
2	Vietnam*	800,128	835,355	959,663	987,792	905,801	854,104	763,136	614,090
3	Laos*	426,180	502,219	369,335	405,359	460,191	414,531	254,022	128,525
4	Thailand*	382,317	394,934	398,081	349,908	279,457	221,259	201,422	116,758
5	South Korea	301,770	345,081	357,194	395,259	424,424	435,009	411,491	342,810
6	United States	250,813	256,544	238,658	217,510	191,366	184,964	173,076	153,953
7	Japan	210,471	203,373	191,577	193,330	215,788	206,932	179,327	161,804
8	Malaysia*	201,116	179,316	152,843	149,389	144,437	130,704	116,764	102,929
9	France	170,844	166,356	150,294	145,724	141,052	131,486	121,175	117,408
10	United Kingdom	162,395	171,162	159,489	154,265	133,306	123,919	110,182	104,052
11	Taiwan	134,430	121,023	104,765	109,727	97,528	96,992	92,811	98,363
12	Australia	127,430	143,852	146,806	134,748	134,167	132,028	117,729	105,010
13	Germany	98,976	118,265	108,784	94,040	84,143	81,565	72,537	63,398
14	Philippines*	98,499	108,032	84,677	93,475	118,999	97,487	70,718
15	Singapore*	86,251	81,063	70,556	67,669	65,855	57,808	53,184	47,594
16	India	65,882	59,571	46,131	36,671	28,529	23,610	18,999	15,240
17	Russia	64,726	65,275	53,164	55,500	108,601	131,675	99,750	67,747
18	Canada	61,551	69,077	60,715	56,834	52,264	50,867	47,829	42,462

* Country in ASEAN

Whilst there are approximately over half a million orphans in the country, only 1% of Cambodian orphans live in orphanages with most parentless children cared for by their extended family or community.[22] Yet, these institutions receive a huge amount of support both in donations and volunteer applications. According to UNICEF, the largest financial support comes from Australia, particularly from faith-based organisations, with 51% of churchgoers and over 3,000 local churches supporting care institutions both in Cambodia and throughout South-East Asia.[23]

This support is ensured thanks to a booming orphanage tourism industry which has become a major problem across the country. An increasing number of travel agencies, charities, universities and high schools advertise placements to Cambodian orphanages.[24] As visitor numbers grow, there has been an explosion in the number of orphanages - between 2005 and 2015, there was a 60% increase, with half concentrated in the tourist destinations and two largest cities of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.[25] Facility owners have recognized an opportunity to profit significantly from an increased pool of foreign donors and volunteers, with around half being completely unlicensed or unregulated.[26]  

The industry is also fuelled by poverty with poor families latching on to the false hope of a better education for their children within these institutions. According to the Department of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation: “There is a general idea amongst ordinary people that ‘our children can lead a good life in the RCIs (residential care institutions)’.’’. Due to a lack of strong state assistance in education and social services for children, poor families are tempted to give up their children to RCI’s with the hope that they will be more adequately provided for.[27]

Many facilities are poorly run, incentivized by the prospect of lucrative profits. Research has shown that since the neediest institutions are likely to receive the most money from the altruistic donors, some are kept deliberately in bad conditions despite substantial donations. Sometimes, children are also paraded through the streets, taught to beg, sell goods, and perform to tourists for money. In this way, they become an exploited commodity, lining the pockets of institution owners.[28][29]

Even in legitimate, well-run orphanages, such facilities can still be damaging; institutionalised children are more likely to experience developmental delays, behavioural issues, poor physical health and reduced intellectual capability compared to those living at home with parents or extended carers.[30] Volunteers that come to these orphanages are usually unskilled and only stay for a short while. Not only does this create a child safeguarding risk, but it can also cause long-term emotional stress for already vulnerable children as they are encouraged to form close attachments with strangers only to be abandoned repeatedly.[31]

With the rise of young generation Cambodian content creators, they play an important role in promoting the country's tourism sector. During an interview with Kiripost, Thay Chheangmeng, Managing Director at Kampucheers, suggested that the government should create an agency similar to that of Thailand, and the that agency is under Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)Tourism Authority of Thailand.[32]

• Visa policy of Cambodia
• History of Cambodia
• Culture of Cambodia
• Dance of Cambodia
• Clothing of Cambodia
• Cuisine of Cambodia
• List of mammals in Cambodia
• List of birds of Cambodia
• List of islands of Cambodia
• Khmer language

• All Cambodia Information site go to https://web.archive.org/web/20160403085408/http://www.tourismcambodiainfo.com/
• Cambodia Tourism Information - http://www.cambodia-tourism.org/

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Cambodia.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tourism in Cambodia.