Background
The National Assembly’s Committee on Education, Youth, Sport, Religion, Culture, Fine Arts and Tourism (Committee No.7) met with senior leadership from the Ministry of Tourism on 24 August 2026 to review progress, challenges and strategic directions for restoring tourism growth. The ministry reported 1,997,821 international visitors to Cambodia during the first seven months of 2026.
The government outlined a package of administrative and financial measures aimed at stabilising tourism operations and facilitating arrivals as the sector recovers. The government announced temporary exemptions of monthly VAT and accommodation taxes for tourism operators through the end of 2026.
Key Developments
Committee No.7, chaired by Pa Sochativong, discussed a set of short-term interventions reported by the Ministry of Tourism, including the removal of non-essential administrative requirements and waivers of certain penalties and license renewals. The Ministry reported an administrative extension for tourist-guide licences to three years and measures to ease exchange of old US dollar banknotes for current currency.
Financial measures announced for operators include a US$50 million loan package facilitated through an SME bank to support tourism businesses in Siem Reap and temporary fiscal relief measures for selected operators. Travel facilitation steps cited by the ministry include expanded use of the Cambodia e-Arrival system, promotional visa fee discounts, a four-month visa-exemption trial for Chinese nationals, and targeted reductions in airfare and site-entry scheduling adjustments at Angkor.
Policy Context
The Ministry set out six strategic pillars to guide sector recovery and medium-term development: a global marketing campaign under the slogan “Bring Cambodia to the World,” strengthening existing source markets while developing new markets, promotion of cultural and nature-based tourism including handicrafts and religious sites, raising service standards and human-resource training under the slogan “Clean City, Clean Sites, Good Service,” development of a digital tourism ecosystem (including Visit App Cambodia and CamDX), and stronger public–private cooperation under a coordinated governance approach.
These pillars combine marketing, service-quality improvement, digital tools, and public–private coordination as the ministry’s operational framework for tourism promotion and destination management.
Institutional Role
The parliamentary committee expressed formal support for the ministry’s reform and recovery measures and signalled legislative oversight on legal and fiscal measures affecting the sector. Members committed to closer coordination between legislative and executive institutions on both statutory and budgetary adjustments that affect tourism operators and destination management.
