Having just spent an amazing Khmer New in Siem Reap, my 5th year in a row I was excited to end my trip by going through the new Siem Reap Angkor International Airport.
Sadly it turns out though that the Angkor International Airport is not just far from the city and a “bit shit” but also pretty much a ghost airport. Why though is this so? Here’s my take on things.
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What the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport?
So, why the shiny new Siem Reap Angkor International Airport? Well, the old one was getting a bit tired—like an overstretched pair of flip-flops. Sure, it was close to Pub Street, but if you’ve ever waited in that long line for a taxi after a flight, you know it was barely holding it together. It was a classic case of “We need something bigger, fancier, and with more Chinese money behind it.”
The real reason? The Cambodian government needed a flashier way to handle an increasing influx of high-rolling tourists, particularly from China. Forget budget backpackers; the future is about luxury travel. And with China eager to build its influence in the region, they threw in some serious cash. The idea was to build a new airport that could accommodate millions more visitors—though whether those visitors will actually come in the expected numbers remains to be seen.
And, let’s be honest, it might’ve been a great way to get out of a tricky contract with Vinci Airports, the French company managing the old one. The big Elephant In The Room Though is that sadly the stats do not match the ambition, at least for now.
Click to read about celebrating Khmer New Year in Siem Reap.
Siem Reap Angkor International Airport Vital Statistics
Siem Reap’s new airport might look impressive, but the numbers tell a different story. The old airport, serving around 5 million passengers annually, was more than enough to handle the tourists coming for Angkor Wat. But with the city’s rapid development and a growing influx of luxury travelers, the Cambodian government thought it needed something bigger and more modern. Enter the new Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, built with a capacity to handle 7 million passengers, and eventually even 12 million. However, it’s currently operating at a fraction of its potential.
In its first year, the new airport only welcomed about 1.3 million passengers, leaving it feeling eerily empty at times like a Chinese ghost town. The new terminal looks great on paper, but with these low numbers, it’s hard not to wonder if they’ve built something too big for a market that’s yet to catch up. The grand vision of booming luxury tourism? Well here in lies the problem with Cambodian tourism.
The Problems With Cambodian Tourism!
Perhaps my street food blog isn’t the place to take a swing at Cambodian tourism, but honestly, the whole thing winds me up. You don’t need a visa to visit Thailand, and it’s overflowing with tourists. Cambodia? Still clinging to outdated visa policies, and surprise visitor numbers are like really bad.
Everyone knows what the problem is, but clearly someone’s making too much money off the current system for anything to change. It’s a bit like Myanmar, where they turned COVID insurance into a scam. Is that really the model Cambodia wants to follow?
To add insult to injury, Thailand’s now rolling out a digital nomad visa. The irony? Cambodia already has one of the easiest and most flexible long-term visas in the region, the ordinary (E-class) visa. It’s cheaper, simpler, and better. But nobody knows about it, and nobody’s marketing it.
Sadly until the cash cow stops mooing, very little is likely to change.
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