Visitors to Cambodia drops in 2014

The fallout of the coup on tourism in the region has impact Cambodia, felt not only in Thailand but also its neighbours who piggy back of the 25 million strong tourists that arrive in the region.

With visitor numbers dropping as much as 20 per cent in the wake of the coup in May, Thailand isn’t the only one suffering from its politics. Cambodia barely registered any growth in foreign arrivals during the first half of the year, where previously their tourism industry had experienced double digit growth for several years.

More than 2 million people visit Cambodia annually, mostly to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat, but the rapid increase has been dampened by their troubled neighbour. Almost all their tourists arrive directly from Bangkok as a side trip on a Thailand vacation. Smaller numbers come overland via Poipet.

“Since the end of the global financial crisis, Cambodia has seen consistent double-digit increases in arrivals. But so far this year, that figure has fallen due to less people arriving from Thailand through the border gates,” Kong Sophearak, director of the ministry’s statistics department told the Phnom Penh Post.

Tourism accounts for as much as 20 per cent of Cambodia’s economy, dangerous high in a industry notoriously sensitive to current affairs. Last year it grew by 26 per cent. However, a large number of recorded arrivals are multiple visits from so called visa-runners hopping over the border from Thailand. The recent crackdown on that activity will have impacted numbers also.

Thailand is struggling to regain it’s record breaking status as a top 10 tourist destination having topped 26 million tourists in 2014. Despite a calm and unchanged situation on the ground, the seizing of power by a military junta has had an impact on the safety perception and caused tourists to go elsewhere. Cambodia has felt the ripples.

Source