Phnom Penh vs Siem Reap

Phnom Penh leads Siem Reap by 17 points on the CIRA Index, 61 to 44. Phnom Penh grades better on 7 measures, Siem Reap on 3; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Phnom Penh 61, Siem Reap 44
• OECD: Phnom Penh 55, Siem Reap 44
• UN Tourism: Phnom Penh 62, Siem Reap 52
• UNDRR: Phnom Penh 43, Siem Reap 40

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Phnom Penh 83, Siem Reap 38
• Economy and jobs: Phnom Penh 42, Siem Reap 50
• Climate and hazards: Phnom Penh 20, Siem Reap 20
• Water and environment: Phnom Penh 50, Siem Reap 58
• Community and housing: Phnom Penh 88, Siem Reap 67
• Access and continuity: Phnom Penh 54, Siem Reap 50

Where Phnom Penh is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 21.9 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia - Tourism Statistics Report December 2025 (via NagaCorp Report), 2025). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Recovery against 2019: 102 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Cambodia Ministry of Tourism via NagaCorp Investor Relations (Tourism Statistics Report December 2025), 2025). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4.
• Average length of stay: 7.6 nights per visitor (country figure) (Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia, Tourism Statistics Report 2023, 2023). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 77.8 % average annual occupancy (country figure) (Cambodia Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia Tourism Statistics Report 2024, 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 266.5 kg per resident per year (Waste Summit Cambodia / Phnom Penh Capital Administration (PPCA), 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 1.6 % change in rents over the last 12 months (CBRE Cambodia, Phnom Penh Market Insights / Good Value Property, Q3 2024). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Open Development Cambodia & Royal Railway Cambodia, 2024–2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.

Where Siem Reap is stronger

• Economic diversity: 68.6 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (region figure) (National Institute of Statistics (NIS), Ministry of Planning: National Report on Final Census Results, Economic Census of Cambodia 2022, 2022). Between 64 and 72: grade 2/4.
• Tourism intensity: 2.6 visitor nights per resident per year (region figure) (Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia: Tourism Statistics Report 2024 & National Institute of Statistics (NIS), 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) / Angkor Enterprise, 2024-2025). Grade 3/4.

Phnom Penh in full · Siem Reap in full

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