Typically overshadowed by its big-name neighbors, Cambodia is quickly creating its long-haul connections. On Monday, two of the world’s largest carriers introduced new routes to the nation.
Turkish Airways will launch flights from its Istanbul hub to Phnom Penh. The three-times weekly service begins on December 10 and can function by way of Bangkok. It joins Abu Dhabi’s Etihad in including the Cambodian capital to its route map this yr.
The second of Monday’s bulletins was arguably the extra notable. Emirates – by most metrics the world’s largest worldwide airline – will begin flying to Siem Reap. The Cambodian metropolis is finest recognized for its easy accessibility to the traditional temples of Angkor, however additionally it is gaining a status for well being and wellness journey.
Like Turkish, Emirates is routing its new Cambodian flights by way of Bangkok. Beginning June 3, the airline will fly thrice per week from Dubai utilizing Boeing 777 widebody plane. Emirates would be the solely airline from exterior the Asia-Pacific area to serve Siem Reap regularly.
Securing the Dubai-based large is an enormous win for town, however it should do little to compensate for the lack of what was till just lately its largest market.
China Capability Drops 98%
Earlier than the pandemic, China accounted for a 3rd of worldwide air capability into Siem Reap. This was the most important supply market of any nation. Nevertheless, Skift evaluation of Cirium Diio information exhibits a drop of greater than 98% in business flights since its pre-Covid peak.
On a median week in March 2018, there have been 151 flights, departing from 26 totally different Chinese language airports to Siem Reap. Virtually 26,000 seats had been out there throughout 12 totally different airways spanning each Chinese language and Cambodian carriers.
By March 2019, the market had softened barely, with round 21,500 seats out there on 124 weekly flights.
Quick ahead to March 2025, and only one route is presently working between Siem Reap and China – a three-times weekly flight operated by China Jap. The service to Kunming in Yunnan province gives 396 seats per week utilizing a single-aisle Boeing 737 jet. Siem Reap–Angkor Worldwide Airport is operated by a Chinese language agency primarily based in Yunnan.
Trying deeper into 2025, nonstop flights stay scarce. There isn’t any extra capability to any Chinese language metropolis because of be added earlier than the top of the calendar yr.
Notably, flights between China and Phnom Penh – the nation’s fundamental monetary and political middle – have rebounded to pre-Covid ranges. This might recommend it’s extra discretionary Chinese language leisure vacationers who’re staying away.
China’s Outbound Guests
Adjustments to Chinese language abroad journey patterns usually are not distinctive to Siem Reap however they’re significantly pronounced within the Cambodian metropolis.
China’s outbound journey market stays in restoration mode post-Covid, with roughly 130 million journeys made in 2024. It’s an enormous quantity, however nonetheless in need of the pre-pandemic excessive of 155 million journeys. Journey traits and standard locations have additionally developed – even with massive numbers touring, they aren’t essentially visiting the identical locations.
As beforehand reported by Skift, Chinese language vacationers have gotten extra targeted on worth. The price of journey is a main barrier to promoting outbound journey, in keeping with latest findings from Dragon Path Analysis.
As one in every of Southeast Asia’s most inexpensive vacationer locations, this pattern ought to play properly for Siem Reap and Cambodia extra usually – however there could also be different elements at play.
Security Issues in Southeast Asia
Cambodia is going through reputational points amongst some Chinese language shoppers. The kidnapping of Chinese language actor Wang Xing in neighboring Thailand made headline information, with a excessive variety of canceled bookings reported by the Bangkok Publish. Wang was finally rescued from a cyber-fraud middle in a frontier city simply over the border in Myanmar.
The high-profile incident bolstered current fears, together with these stemming from the movie ‘No Extra Bets.’ The Chinese language film sparked a broader dialogue about security within the area, significantly for leisure vacationers.
The story follows Chinese language nationals who’re trafficked to Southeast Asia and compelled to commit web fraud. It’s not clear the place the movie is ready however it angered Cambodian authorities who banned it from being proven within the nation.
Nevertheless, latest security issues amongst some Chinese language shoppers don’t seem like common. Official customer numbers recommend Cambodia’s tourism business is performing properly.
The Phnom Penh Publish stories that just about 5 million worldwide vacationers visited the nation within the first three quarters of 2024, up 22.2% on a yr earlier. This comes near 2019’s all-time report.
Airways Sector Inventory Index Efficiency Yr-to-Date
What am I ? The efficiency of airline sector shares throughout the ST200. The index contains firms publicly traded throughout international markets together with community carriers, low-cost carriers, and different associated firms.
The Skift Journey 200 (ST200) combines the monetary efficiency of almost 200 journey firms value greater than a trillion {dollars} right into a single quantity. See extra airways sector monetary efficiency.
Learn the complete methodology behind the Skift Journey 200.
