Cambodia Bets on a New Airport and Green Season Tourism to Bring Visitors Back to Angkor

New flights to Cambodia’s Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport and seasonal activities are attempting to draw visitors back to Angkor. The first of these new events, an equinox cycling festival put on by the ministry of tourism, occurred in September 2026. The biggest challenge for Cambodia’s tourism industry is whether improving transportation and creating more activities will increase tourism outside of the peak seasons. International and domestic flights to and from the airport have significantly decreased from pre-pandemic levels. Limited flights mean hotels and businesses in Siem Reap remain empty. One traveler can help a business that is located outside of the Angkor archaeological park.

The airport has room to grow

The question facing Siem Reap is simple: can a larger gateway bring enough people to fill the city’s rooms, restaurants and tours?

Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport opened in October 2023. In the first six months of 2026, it handled 714,133 passengers, according to figures discussed by Cambodia’s State Secretariat of Civil Aviation and the airport investor in August. The airport received 1.47 million passengers in 2025, up 5.3% from 2024. Yet that 2025 total was only 37.6% of the passenger volume recorded in 2019. AKP

Those figures measure airport passengers, including people travelling for reasons other than tourism. They do not tell us how many guests stayed in Siem Reap or visited Angkor. They do show the scale of the air travel gap that Cambodia wants to close.

Officials and the airport investor discussed potential direct flights from China, India, South Korea, the Middle East and ASEAN markets. They also considered possible airport service fee incentives for new routes. These are discussions and proposals; the August announcement did not confirm that each route would launch. Read the government account of the airport meeting. AKP

Why Angkor needs more than an arrival hall

Angkor is one of Southeast Asia’s great cultural destinations. UNESCO describes its archaeological park as an area of roughly 400 square kilometres, with temples and other remains of successive Khmer capitals. It is also a living landscape where communities reside. UNESCO World Heritage Centre

That scale gives visitors many reasons to spend more than a day in the region. It also means tourism needs careful management. More flights would help local businesses only if travellers can reach the city, find experiences that suit their trip and stay long enough to spend there.

The most useful measure of recovery is therefore wider than airport traffic. Angkor ticket sales, hotel stays and local business income would help show whether additional air passengers are becoming additional visitors to Siem Reap.

Green season gives travellers another reason to come

Cambodia’s latest promotion puts a different image of Angkor in front of visitors: people cycling through the historic region during the green season.

Around 1,200 Cambodian and foreign participants joined an equinox cycling event on 20 September, according to the government news agency. The Ministry of Tourism organised it with the Siem Reap Provincial Administration. Tourism Minister Huot Hak said the cycling event would become a twice-yearly fixture, timed to the March and September equinoxes. Read the official event report. AKP

The programme also included plans for guided equinox tours and activities at Phnom Kulen National Park. Separately, the tourism minister has promoted a “Visit Cambodia in the Green Season” campaign with offers on accommodation, food and tourism services. AKP

For a traveller, the appeal is a trip built around more than a single temple visit. For a guide or hotel, an event can create demand on particular dates. The September cycling turnout shows interest in the activity, but it does not establish how many participants travelled from abroad or booked an extra night.

What the visitor figures reveal

Angkor’s own figures offer another view of demand. Angkor Enterprise reported 955,131 foreign visitors to the archaeological park in 2025, down 6.7% from 2024. Entrance pass revenue exceeded US$44.7 million, down 6.51%. AKP

The authority attributed the decline mainly to border tensions with Thailand and the temporary closure of land checkpoints. That context matters when judging the airport: changes in visitor numbers cannot be credited to, or blamed on, a single piece of infrastructure. AKP

Sources: State Secretariat of Civil Aviation figures reported by Cambodia’s government news agency, and Angkor Enterprise figures reported by the same agency. AKP

The journey does not end when the plane lands

The trip between airport and city is part of the visitor experience. The airport lists shuttle bus services and ground transport information on its official transport page. Travellers should check their onward journey before flying, especially if they arrive late or have a timed temple visit planned. english.sai-airport.com

The airport has also announced a green season ground transport promotion for eligible domestic flight passengers. Its published offer, introduced on 1 August 2026, provides a 50% airport bus discount or US$10 off a designated taxi transfer when travellers present the required flight document. The airport describes the offer as applying to domestic flights, so international arrivals should not assume they qualify. english.sai-airport.com

For airlines, a route must draw enough passengers over time to remain viable. For Siem Reap’s hotels and tour operators, the greater opportunity is to give those passengers a reason to stay. This is the commercial link Cambodia’s airport and green season plans are trying to build.

A visa trial reaches its final weeks

Cambodia has another measure in place for one important source market. Holders of eligible People’s Republic of China passports may enter without a visa for stays of up to 14 days during a trial running from 15 June to 15 October 2026, subject to completing the electronic arrival card. The government says the measure applies whether they travel directly from China or via another country. Read the official visa announcement. AKP

The trial gives Chinese visitors a simpler entry path during the green season. Its effect on Siem Reap cannot yet be measured from the airport and Angkor figures cited above, which cover different periods and groups of people. Any claim of a visa-driven rebound would need later, comparable data.

A longer stay is still a proposal

Officials have discussed a further idea for the former Siem Reap airport site: a cultural, commercial and tourism development called “Miracle Angkor”. The proposal includes an exhibition centre and digital museum and aims to encourage visitors to stay an extra one or two nights. AKP

It remains subject to further study and evaluation, including heritage and aviation safety requirements. Travellers should treat it as a plan, not an attraction they can visit today. If it proceeds, its value to tourism will depend on what is built and whether visitors choose to spend more time in the city.

Traveller FAQs

Which airport should I use for Angkor?

Search for Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport (SAI) when comparing flights. Check the airport’s transport information and arrange your journey to your accommodation separately. Siem Reap Airport

Where should I buy an Angkor pass?

Use Angkor Enterprise, the official government ticket provider. Its guidance explains how to buy a pass online, through its app, at kiosks or at the counter. angkorenterprise.gov.kh

Does the China visa exemption apply to every visitor?

No. The announced trial applies to eligible PRC passport holders for visits of up to 14 days between 15 June and 15 October 2026. Other travellers should check the entry rules that apply to their own passport before departure. AKP

Conclusion

Having an airport with expansion potential and an alternate way to enjoy Angkor’s sites during the green season gives Siem Reap the opportunity to attract travelers with different interests. Recent stats show declines in air travel and international visits to Angkor. September’s cycling event was successful and brought a positive impact to Siem Reap; however, one event can’t show an overall tourism recovery. Easing accessibility and shorter travel times to Siem Reap and Angkor may influence travel decisions, as may other efforts to attract travelers. The goal is to have improved visits and stays, as well as increased travel-related expenditures by travelers in the area.