With a series of crimes targeting Koreans in Cambodia recently, the travel industry is on high alert. For now, it says, "It's okay because sales of Cambodia travel packages aren't that high." But it is worried the issue will dampen sentiment in the Southeast Asia travel market. That concern has grown as online mom communities (parenting cafes) have voiced that they feel uneasy about traveling to Southeast Asia.
According to the retail industry on Oct. 19, travel agencies are reconsidering their plans to launch travel packages to the Angkor Wat ruins in Siem Reap, Cambodia, which they had intended to sell in the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year by using non-regular direct flights.
Originally, T'way Air planned to operate the Incheon/Busan–Siem Reap route from Dec. 19 to March 2, 2026; AIR BUSAN from Dec. 31 to Feb. 26, 2026; and Sky Angkor Airlines from Jan. 1 to March 3, 2026. But they judge that attracting customers is virtually impossible.
This shift comes as crimes targeting Koreans that occurred recently in Cambodia have become a social issue, and President Lee Jae-myung personally took up the matter. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Oct. 16 issued a Level 4 travel advisory, "travel ban," for some regions of Cambodia. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are also allowing cancellations of tickets to Cambodia without fees.
The travel industry's deeper concern is not about Cambodia travel packages. While the cancellation of planned packages may disrupt quarterly and annual performance targets, it is hard to see it as a major problem because they can sell more of other packages.
The real concern is that the entire Southeast Asia travel market could contract. News reports suggest that people who departed for Thailand or Vietnam ended up in Cambodia for some reason and became targets of crime. As public attention has intensified, short crime videos of unknown authenticity have flooded social media. A representative example is videos showing abductions of children when a parent's attention is briefly diverted.
In fact, anxiety about travel to Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, has been growing recently, especially in mom communities. Typical reactions include, "We might end up getting someone hurt while trying to make memories," and "It doesn't seem like a place to take kids." Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, is not far from Korea and is relatively inexpensive, making it a popular family travel destination.
However, negative stories that were not discussed in the past are now surfacing as well. Representative examples include, "When I went to the Philippines, there were so many Koreans with full-body tattoos that it made me uncomfortable," and "I felt fear when receiving treatment at a hospital in Vietnam."
Travel agencies such as Hanatour and Modetour Network cannot help but be taken aback. That is because about half of the packages they sell are Southeast Asia programs. As of the fourth quarter of last year, Southeast Asia travel packages accounted for 45% of all destinations at Hanatour and about 50% at Modetour Network.
The travel industry is gradually getting back on track after the difficult business environment caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. As COVID-19 ended, travel demand began to rise due to a rebound effect, and flight operations also increased. A travel industry official said, "We are just entering an upswing, and we are worried that problems could arise," adding, "If the Cambodia issue spreads or spills over to Vietnam, Thailand, or the Philippines, it could act as a headwind."