Cambodia’s Angkor temple tourism plunges as deadly Thai border clashes cause mass cancellations, with ticket sales down over 17% since June.
SIEM REAP: Tourism at Cambodia’s famed Angkor temple complex has plummeted following deadly clashes along the Thai border.
Tour guide Bun Ratana said his income has plunged 80% this December compared to last year, with over 10 tours cancelled.
The UNESCO World Heritage site lies just a two-hour drive from the border, which has seen weeks of military combat killing dozens.
Travel cancellations have left the centuries-old stone structures unusually quiet and local businesses desperate.
Bun Ratana blamed the renewed fighting, which is rooted in a colonial-era border dispute.
“Some tourists are scared, but here in Siem Reap it is safe,“ he said.
The neighbours shuttered overland crossings after the dispute flared with fresh fighting in May.
Tour operators, vendors and drivers in both Siem Reap and Bangkok report business has been sharply hit by the closures and renewed clashes.
Founder of tour agency Journey Cambodia, Ream Boret, confirmed bookings were down.
Tuk-tuk driver Nov Mao said his income had halved since the clashes began.
Tourism makes up around 10% of Cambodia’s GDP, with 6.7 million arrivals last year.
Ticket sales to Angkor were down at least 17% year-on-year from June to November, according to Angkor Enterprise.
The decline spiralled after July’s five-day clashes killed dozens.
T-shirt vendor Run Kea said local and foreign tourists have “disappeared“ from the normally busy park.
“I think they may be scared… I am scared too,“ the 40-year-old said, adding she was only making a fraction of her usual earnings.
In Bangkok, minivans that once shuttled tourists to Angkor Wat sit idle since border crossings were closed earlier this year.
Thai tour agency owner Prasit Chankliang said they can only tell customers they cannot travel to Cambodia.
Hospitality expert Arnaud Darc said the disruption is concentrated in overland regional travel.
He cited fewer Thai visitors but noted more arrivals from China.
Several foreign tourists at Angkor Wat told AFP they had not been put off by the conflict.
American tourist Dorothy said she felt “very safe“ and was clued in on travel logistics.
German visitor Kay Florek said her family felt safe despite hearing news of the combat.
Experts say fear has been worsened by media reports and a movie about cyber scam networks in the region.
“Sadly, the reality on the ground is that Cambodia’s top tourism hotspots are safe — but the headlines have done damage already,“ said tourism consultant Hannah Pearson.
She said Thailand has also recorded fewer visitors this year, triggered by worries over scam centres and worsened by the clashes.
Siem Reap’s provincial tourism director Thim Sereyvudh admitted Cambodia’s reputation as a host of transnational scammers had hurt the industry.
He was confident tourists would return to Angkor Wat after the fighting ceases.
“The sooner the war ends,“ he said, “the sooner they will come back“.
