Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet inaugurated the state-of-the-art Techo International Airport on Monday, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s efforts to revitalize tourism and attract foreign investment. Located in Kandal province, approximately 30 kilometers south of Phnom Penh, the $2 billion facility replaces the aging Phnom Penh International Airport, which had operated for nearly seven decades with a single runway. The new airport, a joint venture between the Cambodian government and the Overseas Cambodian Investment Corp., began operations in September and features three runways. Initially designed to handle 13 million passengers annually, its capacity is projected to expand to 30 million by 2030 and 50 million by 2050. Hun Manet expressed optimism that the airport would serve as a catalyst for economic recovery, aiming to surpass pre-pandemic tourism and investment levels. However, Cambodia’s tourism sector faces challenges, including the recent death of a South Korean man allegedly lured into an online scam center, which has drawn international attention to the country’s illegal cybercrime industry. Additionally, a brief but tense border conflict with Thailand in July further impacted tourism. Despite these setbacks, Cambodia welcomed 4 million foreign tourists from January to August 2023, with plans to leverage its second major airport in two years—the Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport, opened in October 2023—to support the iconic Angkor Wat temple complex.