Cambodia Sees Cashless Payments as Key to Tourism Growth

PHNOM PENH, Feb 28, 2026 (KPT) — Cambodia has identified digital cashless payments as a central tool to strengthen its tourism sector and improve convenience for international visitors, officials said Saturday.

At the launch of Visa’s “Digitally Inclusive Commerce Ecosystem (DICE)” in Phnom Penh, attended by Deputy Governor Yim Leat of the National Bank of Cambodia, Tourism Minister Huot Hak said boosting competitiveness in tourism is a national priority, with emphasis on ensuring small businesses benefit from digital transformation.

Leat noted that foreign travelers can now make payments in Cambodian riels using familiar digital methods, scanning KHQR codes at some 4.5 million merchant locations nationwide — from cafés and local markets to tuk-tuk services.

Hak praised private-sector initiatives integrating cashless systems into micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, saying they enhance convenience for tourists, encourage local spending and support the domestic economy.

He called for stronger collaboration across sectors to create value-added tourism products and deliver a seamless travel experience, stressing that tourism requires close cooperation at all levels under a “Dynamic Single Stakeholder” approach.