Scam-hit Cambodia tries to woo Hong Kong but travel agencies have doubts

The head of Cambodia’s tourism body is looking to build partnerships with Hong Kong travel agencies as part of a drive to get visitors returning to his country, which has been plagued by safety concerns in recent years.Cambodia Tourism Board CEO Kim Minea also told the South China Morning Post that the government was “determined” to eliminate the notorious scam compounds that had trapped thousands of people, including Hongkongers, in recent years.But Hong Kong tour operators said safety was still a major concern among residents and it would be difficult to draw them back to the Southeast Asian nation in the short term.Cambodia, famous for the Angkor Wat temple complex, is heavily reliant on tourism, with the sector making up 9.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024.But tourism statistics showed arrivals to the kingdom were down by about 31.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2025, compared with a year earlier, coinciding with a border conflict that erupted with neighbouring Thailand last summer.Hongkongers have avoided Cambodia in recent years following cases of residents becoming trapped in notorious scam centres operated by crime syndicates across the country.