Every year nearly 2.6 million[1] tourists visit Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Tourism in Cambodia is one of the most important sectors in the country's economy. In 2013, tourism arrivals increased by 17.5 percent year on year, with business travelers increasing 47 percent.[2]

Annual statistics

Tourists at Angkor Wat.
YearTourism arrivalsChangeReferences
2022 2,276,626 Increase 1058.6% [3]
2021 196,495 Decrease 85.0% [4]
2020 1,306,143 Decrease 80.2% [5]
2019 6,610,592 Increase 6.6% [6]
20186,201,077Increase 10.7%[7]
20175,602,157Increase 11.7%[8]
20165,011,712Increase 4.95%[9]
20154,775,231Increase 6.1%[10]
20144,502,775Increase 7.0%[11]
20134,210,165Increase 17.5%[12]
20123,584,307Increase 24.4%[13]
20112,881,862Increase 14.9%[14]
20102,508,289Increase 16.0%[15]
20092,161,577Increase 1.7%[16]
20082,125,465Increase 1.5%[17]
20072,015,128Increase 18.5%[18]
20061,700,041Increase 19.6%[19]
20051,421,615Increase 34.7%[20]
20041,055,202Increase 50.5%[21]

Ranking of international visitor arrivals[22]

RankCountry or territory20182017201620152014201320122011
*ASEAN2,067,5042,161,2542,121,2202,097,7581,918,1301,831,5071,514,2671,101,111
1 China2,024,4431,210,782830,003694,712560,335463,123333,894247,197
2 Vietnam*800,128835,355959,663987,792905,801854,104763,136614,090
3 Laos*426,180502,219369,335405,359460,191414,531254,022128,525
4 Thailand*382,317394,934398,081349,908279,457221,259201,422116,758
5 South Korea301,770345,081357,194395,259424,424435,009411,491342,810
6 United States250,813256,544238,658217,510191,366184,964173,076153,953
7 Japan210,471203,373191,577193,330215,788206,932179,327161,804
8 Malaysia*201,116179,316152,843149,389144,437130,704116,764102,929
9 France170,844166,356150,294145,724141,052131,486121,175117,408
10 United Kingdom162,395171,162159,489154,265133,306123,919110,182104,052
11 Taiwan134,430121,023104,765109,72797,52896,99292,81198,363
12 Australia127,430143,852146,806134,748134,167132,028117,729105,010
13 Germany98,976118,265108,78494,04084,14381,56572,53763,398
14 Philippines*98,499108,03284,67793,475118,99997,48770,718
15 Singapore*86,25181,06370,55667,66965,85557,80853,18447,594
16 India65,88259,57146,13136,67128,52923,61018,99915,240
17 Russia64,72665,27553,16455,500108,601131,67599,75067,747
18 Canada61,55169,07760,71556,83452,26450,86747,82942,462

* Country in ASEAN

Major attractions

World Heritage Sites

Angkor Wat
Preah Vihear Temple
Sambor Prei Kuk

Museums

Angkor National Museum
Cambodian Cultural Village
National Museum, Phnom Penh

Natural areas

Bou Sra Waterfall
Phnom Kulen
Tonle Sap

National parks

Kirirom National Park
Ream National Park
Phnom Bokor

Cities

Siem Reap
Phnom Penh
Sihanoukville

Other

Banteay Srei
Silver Pagoda
Royal Palace of Cambodia

Orphanage tourism

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.[23] 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.[24]

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.[25] 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.[26] 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.[27]  

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.[28]

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.[29][30]

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.[31] 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.[32]

The Roles of Content Creators in Promoting Cambodia's Tourism

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.[33]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Angkor hosts 2.6M visitors | Phnom Penh Post".
  2. ↑ Calderon, Justin (6 May 2013). "Asia Hotels In Investor Spotlight". Inside Investor. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "Tourism Cambodia" (PDF).
  4. ↑ "NAGA Corp" (PDF).
  5. ↑ "NAGA Corp" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "NAGA Corp" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "Tourism Statistics Report Year 2018" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  8. ↑ "Tourism Statistics Report 2017" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  9. ↑ "Tourism Statistics Report Year 2016" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  10. ↑ "Tourism Statistics Report Year 2015" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  11. ↑ "Cambodia closes 2014 with 7% growth". Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  12. ↑ "Tourism Statistics Report 2013" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  13. ↑ "Tourism Statistics Annual Report 2012" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  14. ↑ "Tourism Statistics Report in 2011" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  15. ↑ "Tourism Statistics Report 2010" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  16. ↑ "Tourism Statistics Report 2009" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  17. ↑ "Tourism Statistical Report 2008" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  18. ↑ "Tourism Statistical Report 2007" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  19. ↑ "Statistic Tourist 2006". Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  20. ↑ "Statistic Tourist 2005". Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  21. ↑ "Statistic Tourist 2004". Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  22. ↑ "Statistics and Tourism Information Department, MOT". tourismcambodia.com. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  23. ↑ "Orphanages – ConCERT Cambodia". Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  24. ↑ Knaus, Christopher (2017-08-18). "The race to rescue Cambodian children from orphanages exploiting them for profit". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  25. ↑ Knaus, Christopher (2017-08-18). "The race to rescue Cambodian children from orphanages exploiting them for profit". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  26. ↑ Knaus, Christopher (2017-08-18). "The race to rescue Cambodian children from orphanages exploiting them for profit". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  27. ↑ Louis (2019-05-28). "The Harms of 'Orphanage Tourism' in Cambodia". ONETrack International. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  28. ↑ Louis (2019-05-28). "The Harms of 'Orphanage Tourism' in Cambodia". ONETrack International. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  29. ↑ Louis (2019-05-28). "The Harms of 'Orphanage Tourism' in Cambodia". ONETrack International. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  30. ↑ "Responsible volunteering". www.responsibletravel.com. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  31. ↑ van IJzendoorn, Marinus H.; Palacios, Jesús; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J. S.; Gunnar, Megan R.; Vorria, Panayiota; McCall, Robert B.; Le Mare, Lucy; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J.; Dobrova-Krol, Natasha A.; Juffer, Femmie (December 2011). "I. Children in Institutional Care: Delayed Development and Resilience". Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development. 76 (4): 8–30. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5834.2011.00626.x. PMC 4130248. PMID 25125707.
  32. ↑ "Volunteering with children". www.responsibletravel.com. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  33. ↑ Rov, Hongseng (26 August 2023). "Explainer: How Content Creators Can Promote Cambodia's Tourism Industry". Kiripost Explainer Article. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
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