Trip.com halts Cambodia tourism deal amid safety fears

China’s largest online travel agency, Trip.com Group, has suspended its partnership with Cambodia’s tourism authority, citing growing concerns over safety and cyber risks. The move comes just weeks after the collaboration was announced, sparking unease among Chinese travellers already wary of escalating border clashes and scam syndicates in the region.

The agreement, originally scheduled to run from September 2025 to March 2026, was intended to promote Cambodia as part of the “Cambodia–China Tourism Year.” But Trip.com confirmed on Thursday that the deal “never actually launched,” following a series of safety alerts issued by the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh. Since early December, the embassy has released five warnings—four linked to fighting along the Thai border and one highlighting scam operations. Officials said 46 Chinese nationals had been rescued from digital fraud centres in Cambodia in recent weeks.

Trip.com stressed that the suspended campaign involved only advertising and did not include any data-sharing. The company sought to reassure users after some threatened to uninstall its app, insisting that it undergoes annual cybersecurity risk assessments, most recently completed in October.

For Cambodia, the setback comes at a delicate moment. The country has been working to rebuild its tourism industry after the pandemic, with Chinese visitors seen as vital to recovery. In the first ten months of 2025, Cambodia welcomed around one million Chinese tourists—more than 20 per cent of total arrivals. Plans are already in place to trial visa-free entry for Chinese citizens between June and October 2026.

The Cambodia Tourism Board emphasised that the suspension was a mutual decision and purely promotional, with no impact on broader tourism ties. “Cambodia remains safe and fully open,” it said, pointing to uninterrupted operations in destinations such as Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Industry insiders echoed that view, describing the move as a routine adjustment rather than a shift in strategy.

Despite the pause, officials remain confident that Cambodia’s appeal will endure. With Chinese travellers accounting for a cornerstone of the country’s tourism growth, the government continues to invest in hospitality improvements and targeted campaigns. The suspension may have slowed momentum, but the long-term ambition of welcoming millions more Chinese visitors remains firmly in place.

-2025-12-29