Siem Reap and Kratie Turn Green Season Into a New Eco-Tourism Opportunity For Cambodia

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As the country’s wet season gets a makeover through Green Season, the four destinations of Cambodia – Siem Reap, Kratie and Stung Treng are promoting their green corridors for tourists. Even if Angkor remains the main highlight of Cambodia, the new trend in tourism is shifting tourists from visiting temples in Siem Reap and instead moving them to the Mekong, nature and community in Cambodia. But this is not an accident, as the green season tour is an attempt to provide tourists with a unique experience of Cambodia.

Key Stats

• 5.57 million: International tourists Cambodia welcomed during the first seven months of 2025.
• 4.8%: Year-on-year increase in international arrivals during that period.
• 1.23 million: International arrivals through Siem Reap Angkor International Airport during the first seven months of 2025.
• 1.27 million: International tourists who visited the Angkor area during January–July 2025.
• 5: Provinces involved in the initial Green Season Campaign: Stung Treng, Kratie, Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri and Preah Vihear.
• 2: Provinces highlighted in the campaign’s final multi-provincial field activities: Stung Treng and Kratie.
• October: Peak of Cambodia’s traditional wet season, when landscapes are particularly green, and waterways are fuller.

Green Season Gets A New Tourism Role

Cambodia’s Green Season Campaign is designed to encourage travel during the country’s wetter months while spreading tourism activity into provincial destinations.

The Ministry of Tourism has been promoting a combination of nature, community-based tourism, adventure, agriculture, culture and local products. The campaign covers northeastern provinces where forests, rivers and rural communities provide a very different experience from Cambodia’s established temple destinations.

The approach also supports the wider push towards sustainable and community-based tourism, where visitors can spend more time in local destinations rather than making short visits centred only on Siem Reap.

Stung Treng Takes Travellers Into The Northeast

Stung Treng sits at the meeting point of several major waterways, including the Mekong and Sekong rivers, giving the province a strong foundation for river-based tourism.

The Green Season campaign has highlighted community-based trekking, forest landscapes, local communities and river experiences as part of the northeastern tourism offer.

For travellers, the province can provide a nature-focused extension to a Cambodia itinerary, particularly for visitors interested in hiking, wildlife and rural experiences.

The region’s biodiversity also gives conservation tourism a prominent role, linking travel activity with environmental awareness and local livelihoods.

Kratie Brings The Mekong Into Focus

Kratie is particularly associated with the Mekong River and its population of Irrawaddy dolphins, making conservation an important part of the tourism experience.

The Green Season campaign has promoted Mekong-related activities alongside community tourism and local products. Visitors can combine river excursions with exploration of riverside communities and surrounding countryside.

The province also offers Koh Trong, a river island near Kratie town where visitors can experience cycling, village life and local agricultural landscapes.

That makes Kratie a natural stop for travellers seeking a slower pace after Cambodia’s major archaeological attractions.

Siem Reap Wants Visitors To Stay Longer

Siem Reap remains Cambodia’s primary international tourism hub, largely because of its proximity to Angkor Archaeological Park.

The destination welcomed more than 1.23 million international visitors through Siem Reap Angkor International Airport during the first seven months of 2025, while the Angkor area recorded approximately 1.27 million international visitors during the same period.

The Green Season period provides hotels and tour operators with an opportunity to package accommodation, tours and local experiences around longer stays.

Rather than treating Siem Reap as a one- or two-night temple stop, tourism operators are promoting combinations that can include Angkor visits, countryside excursions, food experiences, wellness activities and regional trips.

Angkor Remains The Big Draw

The Angkor Archaeological Park continues to anchor Siem Reap’s tourism economy.

The UNESCO World Heritage site includes Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm and numerous other monuments spread across a vast archaeological landscape. During the green season, surrounding vegetation and water levels can alter the visual character of the landscape, while visitor numbers can differ from the busiest dry-season periods.

Travellers using Siem Reap as their base can therefore combine the major temple circuit with experiences elsewhere in the province.

Discounts Add A Reason To Extend

Hotels, restaurants, attractions and tour operators have increasingly used seasonal packages to stimulate demand during the green season.

These offers can include discounted room rates, bundled tours and regional tourism passes, allowing visitors to combine accommodation with activities rather than purchasing every component separately.

For travellers, the financial advantage can be paired with the opportunity to spend additional nights in Siem Reap and use the city as a base for countryside and cultural excursions.

The strategy also supports businesses beyond the major attractions by encouraging spending across accommodation, restaurants, transport, guides and local activity providers.

Eco-Corridors Connect The Bigger Picture

The northeastern campaign is important because it connects Cambodia’s established tourism hubs with lesser-visited destinations.

A longer itinerary can begin in Siem Reap with Angkor, continue through countryside and community tourism experiences, then extend towards Kratie or Stung Treng for river and nature-based travel.

This type of route distributes visitor spending across more provinces and gives communities outside the major tourist centres greater participation in the tourism economy.

FAQ

1. What is Cambodia’s Green Season?
It refers broadly to Cambodia’s wetter months, when rainfall produces greener landscapes, fuller waterways and different conditions for nature-based travel.

2. Which northeastern destinations are being promoted?
The Green Season Campaign has focused on Stung Treng and Kratie, alongside earlier promotional activity covering Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri and Preah Vihear.

3. Can visitors combine Siem Reap with eco-tourism destinations?
Yes. Siem Reap can serve as the starting point for longer Cambodia itineraries that incorporate countryside, community tourism, Mekong experiences and northeastern provinces.

Timelines and Events

• 2025: Cambodia launches Green Season promotional activities across northeastern provinces.
• January–July 2025: Cambodia receives more than 5.57 million international tourists.
• January–July 2025: Siem Reap Angkor International Airport records more than 1.23 million international arrivals.
• July 2025: Ministry of Tourism conducts Green Season campaign activities in Stung Treng and Kratie.
• Green Season: Hotels and tourism operators continue using seasonal packages and promotions to encourage longer stays.

Conclusion

The “Green Season” approach of Cambodia has expanded the tourism landscape of Cambodia beyond the Angkor route which is usually visited by tourists. Although Siem Reap is an essential tourist destination for visitors who are attracted to temples, Kratie and Stung Treng have added elements such as landscapes of Mekong River, community tourism, trekking, and conservation to the list. The availability of cheap accommodation in the off season period has enabled Cambodia to capitalise on the Green Season period.