Angkor Wat loosing its appeal for Asian travelers

Overall Performance Metrics

The aggregate statistics reveal a stark contrast between tourism recovery and Angkor
engagement:
– Total Angkor Tickets: 527,577 2025 vs 1,117,831 2019 – 52.8% decline
– Total Tourist Arrivals: 2,183,964 2025 vs 2,238,751 2019 – 2% decline
– Average Purchase Rate: 24% 2025 vs 50% 2019 – 26 % percentage points.

The analysis of Angkor ticket sales between January and May 2025 among 17 key international markets indicate that long-haul travelers are proving more resilient than those from regional neighbors.

Travelers from long-haul markets—defined as four hours or more in flight time—are significantly more engaged with Angkor. The purchase rate of tickets stand at 78.1% compared to 22.7% for short-haul markets.

Western markets point to an average decline of only 18.2% in ticket purchase rate compared to 52.3% for Asian markets. Spain leads globally with a 97% purchase rate, followed by France at 88%, India at 82%, the USA at 80% and Germany at 79%.

Worrying declines in most Asian markets

Regional ASEAN markets show particularly low engagement. Tourists buying Angkor tickets in percentage of total arrivals stood at 7% for Malaysia, 3% for Vietnam, 2% for Thailand and 1% for Laos. These numbers prove minimal Angkor interest.

China represents the most significant revenue loss, dropping from 482,387 tickets in 2019 to just 43,193 in 2025. This 91% decline accounts for approximately $16.3 million in lost revenue and represents the single largest impact on overall performance. The Chinese market’s purchase rate plummeted from 73% to 29%, indicating both reduced arrivals 77% and lower engagement among those who do visit.

Thailand shows the most puzzling market dynamic. Tourist arrivals increased 514% from 133,000 to 818,000. However, Angkor ticket purchases declined 62%. The purchase rate dropped from 16% in 2019 to just 2% in 2025. It suggests that Thai tourists are choosing alternative activities or destinations within Cambodia. However, Thai travel is likely to decline sharply following political tensions between both Cambodia and Thailand.

Indonesia stands meanwhile as the only market with positive growth of 20.9%, combining increased tourist arrivals 52% with sustained engagement. This demonstrates the potential for regional market development and serves as a model for ASEAN engagement strategies.

Reinventing Angkor Wat marketing?

Meanwhile, ticket sales for Angkor Archaeological Park are also up by 3% for Japanese travelers. This is in sharp contrast with a drop of -52% in their arrivals to Cambodia. As a matter of fact, 77% of Japanese tourists bought a ticket from January to May 2025.

According to DMC All Dreams Cambodia, Angkor’s diminished appeal suggests either increased competition from alternative attractions, changing travel preferences, or inadequate marketing to regional markets.

The Angkor Archaeological Park faces a fundamental challenge. It needs to convert general tourism growth into heritage site visitation, particularly among regional Asian markets. The entrance fee to the Park (USD 37 for a one-day visit) could be seen a deterrent factor for some of these regional markets with a limited purchasing power. A special ticket price for ASEAN citizens could eventually stimulate the market…