Several countries in Southeast Asia are currently easing their visa policy to attract more tourists. However, in this regard, Cambodia seems to lag behind its neighbours. Therefore, the Cambodian travel industry is urging the government to ease the visa policy in Cambodia too.
Tourism in Southeast Asia
Thanks to its fascinating culture, world-famous cuisine, beautiful beaches, enjoyable weather and relatively low costs, Southeast Asia is one of the most popular regions among tourists. The region used to attract mainly backpackers on a limited budget, but nowadays, Southeast Asia has something for travellers of all kinds. Even though the region is still popular among backpackers, travellers may also go for beach holidays, organised tours, or cheap luxury.
Visa policy of Southeast Asia
The most popular tourist attraction in Cambodia is Angkor Wat, a temple complex considered to be the biggest religious monument in the world. This huge temple complex is the main attraction for travellers visiting the country. Several trips to Angkor Wat are also organised from Thailand, most of which last a few days. Nonetheless, Cambodia has much more to offer. The vast majority of the country is covered by rainforest, but Cambodia offers plenty of seaside resorts where you can enjoy the tropical climate. Nevertheless, a large part of the foreign visitors leave the country just one week after arriving.
The Ta Prohm temple in Cambodia has been partially reclaimed by nature
Tourism and visa policy in Cambodia
The most popular tourist attraction in Cambodia is Angkor Wat, a temple complex considered to be the biggest religious monument in the world. This huge temple complex is the main attraction for travellers visiting the country. Several trips to Angkor Wat are also organised from Thailand, most of which last a few days. Nonetheless, Cambodia has much more to offer. The vast majority of the country is covered by rainforest, but Cambodia offers plenty of seaside resorts where you can enjoy the tropical climate. Nevertheless, a large part of the foreign visitors leave the country just one week after arriving.
Travelling to Cambodia always requires a visa. The tourist visa is valid for a single trip, allowing travellers to stay in Cambodia up to 30 days. This 30-day stay may be extended once by 30 more days. However, it is not easy to obtain a visa for longer stays in Cambodia, and the chances to obtain a multiple-entry visa are slim. In this regard, Cambodia's visa policy is significantly different from those of its neighbours.
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Long-term tourism is trending
A new travel trend has emerged in the last few years and become more and more popular over time, namely travelling over long periods of time. Additionally, an increasing number of travellers combine their work with their trips, while seniors go abroad for long periods of time after retirement. Thanks to the good weather, the low cost of living, and the good digital infrastructure, Southeast Asia in especially popular among long-term tourists. Several Southeast Asian countries have discovered the potential of long-term tourism and are trying to facilitate it as much as possible. For this and other reasons, most countries in the region offer long-term visas, some of which are valid for several years. In this regard too, Cambodia lags behind its neighbours, as it has not implemented a visa for long-term tourists.
New visa for Cambodia
Since most other Southeast Asian countries are progressively modernising their visa policies, Cambodia’s tourism industry is worried about the future, fearing that travellers will gravitate towards countries like Thailand, Indonesia or Vietnam rather than Cambodia. It is significantly easier to obtain long-stay visas for these countries, so the Cambodian travel industry demands change. The government has been asked to extend the validity period of ordinary tourist visas to 3 months and allow multiple trips with the same visa. Moreover, the industry believes the government should offer one-year visas to encourage travellers to stay longer in the country.
The Cambodian government has not yet given an official response, or disclosed information about any new visas for Cambodia. However, the expectation is that we will know more about a renewed visa policy for the country in 2024.