Cambodia has earned the crown of Asia’s Leading Cultural Destination for the fourth time, with industry experts stressing the need for continued tourism development alongside such accolades

Cambodia has been crowned Asia’s Leading Cultural Destination for 2024 by the World Travel Awards, earning the prestigious title for the fourth time.
Thourn Sinan, chairman of IMCT Co Ltd and the Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia chapter, said while he has not seen the specific source, “as a Cambodian, if this information is true, I am very happy with the achievement”.
The World Travel Awards acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry.
Sinan said every award Cambodia receives can be regarded as a way of showcasing the nation’s “reputation, greatness and strengths” to the world.
However, he added, “What they [authorities] shouldn’t do when they receive awards is then ignore other development activities, including effective ways to recover the tourism industry.
“We should look at the current context of our society, what we lack and what challenges need to be addressed. Relevant parties should consider whether the award is in line with these or not.”
Sinan stated that he has yet to see improvements from the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) in the new mandate, adding that no specific national policy has been developed to date, which the public and private sectors are waiting for.
Recently, Tourism Minister Sok Soken, who is also Permanent Vice Chairman of Siem Reap-Angkor Tourism Management and Development Committee, attended a consultation workshop on the ‘Preparation of Siem Reap Tourism Development Plan 2025-2028’.
Latest figures between August 26 and September 1, 2024, showed that Cambodia welcomed about 282,300 local tourists and 44,600 international visitors. In that time, 10,956 tickets were purchased by foreigners to visit the Angkor Archaeological Park, generating $505,702 in revenue.
During this period, 450 international flights landed in Cambodia, with Phnom Penh International Airport welcoming 340 flights, Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (100 flights) and Sihanoukville International Airport (10 flights).
Source: Kiri Post