Chinese ditch Thailand for cheaper, drama-free Cambodia
New airport near Phnom Penh to open this September, boosting tourism
While Thailand scrambles to revive its struggling tourism sector, neighbouring Cambodia is quietly winning over Chinese holidaymakers — and it’s pulling out all the stops.
In a bold push to attract foreign tourists, Cambodian officials declared 2025 the “China-Cambodia Tourism Year,” and it’s already paying off. Just last week, a record-setting group of 1,000 Chinese tourists from Wuxi, near Shanghai, touched down in Phnom Penh — a milestone that signals a shift in regional tourism power dynamics.
Unlike Thailand, where Chinese arrivals have dipped due to negative press and tourist scams, Cambodia is positioning itself as the budget-friendly, hassle-free alternative.
Chinese tour operators say “no problem” when it comes to Cambodia’s US$39 (around 1,200 baht) e-visa, arguing that overall travel costs — including flights, hotels, and daily expenses — are significantly lower than in Thailand.
Cambodia’s visa policy hasn’t followed Thailand’s lead in offering visa-free, 60-day entries. But what it lacks in freebies, it makes up for in simplicity. Long-stay foreigners rarely deal directly with immigration officers — local agents usually handle everything.
There’s no 90-day reporting requirement either. Instead, visitors staying longer than a month simply register their address online, which remains valid until changed. Annual multi-entry retirement visas cost around US$300.
Even more impressive is Cambodia’s upcoming Techo International Airport, scheduled to open in September, just 20 kilometres south of Phnom Penh.
With a jaw-dropping price tag of US$1.5 billion, this mega-hub, managed by French conglomerate VINCI, is expected to become the ninth largest airport in the world.
It’s built to handle the biggest aircraft on Earth, including the Airbus A380-800 and Boeing 747-800, with direct long-haul flights from Europe and beyond launching next year.
In the first four months of 2025 alone, Cambodia welcomed 2.4 million international tourists, marking a 14% increase over the same period in 2024. Chinese arrivals alone skyrocketed by 49%, while the UK and France topped the list for European visitors.
Minister of Tourism Huot Hak has even rebranded the rainy season (April to October) as the “Green Season,” promoting the country’s natural beauty, serenity, and cooler climate to off-season travellers, reported Pattaya Mail.
With Thailand’s tourism reputation faltering, Cambodia may be emerging as Southeast Asia’s unexpected new tourism darling.
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