Cambodia's famed Angkor records 74,492 Chinese tourists in first 11 months of 2025

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's renowned Angkor Archaeological Park welcomed a total of 74,492 Chinese tourists in the first 11 months of 2025, up 4.6 percent from 71,177 over the same period last year, said a report on Thursday.

During the January-November period this year, China was the fourth largest source of international tourist arrivals to the UNESCO-listed world heritage site after the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, said the state-owned Angkor Enterprise's report.

Thong Mengdavid, a lecturer at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said Chinese tourist arrivals to Angkor are expected to continue rising steadily in the coming years.

"The rise will be supported by China's gradual outbound tourism recovery, improving flight connections, and Cambodia's renewed push to diversify its tourism markets," he told Xinhua.

Mengdavid said the Cambodian government's new pilot visa-free policy for Chinese citizens, set to begin from June 15 to Oct. 15, 2026, is likely to be a long-term catalyst, lowering travel barriers and encouraging more first-time and repeat visitors.

"If Cambodia pairs this policy with targeted promotions, smoother digital services, and stronger tourism infrastructure, Chinese arrivals to Angkor could surpass pre-pandemic momentum and reinforce the site's position as one of Asia's most iconic cultural destinations," he said.

Located in northwest Siem Reap province, the Angkor Archaeological Park, the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian country, is home to 91 ancient temples, which had been built from the ninth to the 13th centuries.

The ancient park attracted a total of 867,195 foreign visitors from 171 countries and regions during the first 11 months of this year, generating a gross revenue of 40.48 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales, according to the report.