AN INTEGRATED OF CAMBODIA’S DESTINATION ATTRIBUTES FOR ENHANCING DESTINATION COMPETITIVENESS

Abstract

Cambodia’s economic and cultural development depends on tourism, but the country faces challenges that limit its global competitiveness. Few studies have examined tourist perceptions of destination attributes and competitiveness. Most have focused on policy and supply side perspectives. This demand-side study of Cambodia’s tourism destination competitiveness (TDC) for first-time and repeat international visitors, based on Dwyer and Kim’s model, addresses this gap. Mixed methods were used. In-depth interviews with 20 international tourists in Phnom Penh identified important destination attributes, which informed a 400-person quantitative survey. Tourists rated destination attributes’ importance, performance, and satisfaction on a five-point Likert scale. Compare visitor segment perceptions using Importance and Performance Analysis (IPA), Gap Analysis, Utility Scores, and t-tests. The Findings show Cambodia has competitive strengths in cultural heritage, cuisine, and visitor safety, which should be preserved. Fair tour/excursion pricing and reasonable transport costs were found with high importance but low performance, making them the most important areas for improvement. The gap analysis also showed that first-time visitors had moderateF expectations for access and convenience, while repeat visitors used prior experiences and regional comparisons to evaluate them more strictly. The study concludes with policy recommendations to improve infrastructure, safety, and accessibility while preserving cultural heritage and hospitality. This research extends destination competitiveness theory by focusing on demand side insights and offers recommendations to improve Cambodia’s global tourism appeal