Synopsis: Kingdom leads Southeast Asia in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards.
Cambodia ranks fourth in the 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards by US travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler, scoring 93.57 out of 100 to place ahead of Spain, France, Vietnam and Thailand.
Announced on October 6, the ranking puts Japan first with 95.52 points, followed by Italy with 94.80 and Ireland with 94.15. Cambodia finishes ahead of fifth-ranked Spain with 93.37.
Among Southeast Asian countries on the top-20 list, Cambodia takes the highest position. Vietnam ranks 10th with 92.99 points, Thailand 12th with 92.89, and Singapore 18th with 92.11.
The ranking is part of the magazine’s 39th annual Readers’ Choice Awards, featuring 798,867 votes cast across categories including countries, cities, hotels, resorts and airlines.
Readers rated destinations through an online survey from April 1 to June 30, using a five-point scale from excellent to poor.
Launched in September 1987 under editor Harold Evans, the American magazine is known for destination reporting, travel advice and its “Truth in Travel” principle. Its annual readers’ awards are a regular feature of its travel coverage.
Phnom Penh placed third in the World’s Best Big Cities category, climbing from 10th in 2025. The Cambodia capital ranks behind Seoul and Tokyo, but ahead of Shanghai, Sydney, Montreal, Paris and Singapore.
The recognition arrives as Cambodia’s tourism sector faces a decline in international visitor arrivals.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia welcomed 2,252,698 international tourists during the first eight months of 2026, a 44.4% decrease from 4,050,227 during the same period last year.
Land arrivals fall 62.9% to 784,088, compared with 2,115,263 in 2025. Air arrivals drop 24.9% to 1,411,562, and US visitors decrease 7.3% to 129,876 from 140,084.
The magazine’s ranking and ministry arrival figures measure different aspects of tourism: reader assessments versus actual visits.
