Phnom Penh, 10 May 2024 – Visa, a world leader in digital payments, is introducing resources to help Cambodian merchants, especially small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), take full advantage of Visa’s digital payment solutions to optimize the customer shopping experience and increase sales, particularly in the tourism sector. This is part of Visa’s commitment to empower Cambodian SMBs and boost tourism, a crucial growth sector for the economy, by helping more merchants offer seamless contactless payments.

The toolkit, available at https://www.visa.com.kh/en_KH/run-your-business/accept-visa-payments.html, offers merchants detailed, step-by-step instructions in Khmer and English, including a script for cashiers on how to initiate and complete digital payment transactions. The toolkit describes how most Visa cards have the contactless feature as identified by the symbol and includes instructions on how customers can tap the terminal with their card themselves to make payment – an experience preferred by consumers post COVID-19.

Visa's latest Global Travel Intentions (GTI) study found that 97% of Asia Pacific travelers opt to go cashless when travelling, with the number of travelers bringing cash on their trips decreasing by 60% post-pandemic. Only 31% of respondents brought cash during their travels in 2023, as compared to 79% in 2020 , reaffirming the growing importance of digital payments in enhancing the overall travel experience.

By partnering with Visa, merchants can leverage the trust inherent in Visa’s brand name, which was named the world’s most valuable payments brand and the sixth most valuable brand in the world . Visa’s enhanced dispute resolution process protects small businesses and consumers through the network’s promise of zero liability for fraud or misuse , building trust and improving the efficiency of Cambodia’s burgeoning digital payments and e-commerce sector.

Contactless payments also help facilitate cross-border transactions, which in turn help bolster Cambodia’s tourism industry, one of the important growth pillars of the country’s economy. Cambodia’s tourism revenue and foreign arrivals more than doubled in 2023 from the previous year.

The Ministry of Tourism recently launched the “Visit Siem Reap 2024” campaign and other tourism-related initiatives to attract more tourists. As part of Visa’s efforts to promote tourism in the country, Visa partners with the Pacific Association of Tourism (PATA) to drive the Tourism Destination Resilience Program, which aims to build a more resilient and sustainable tourism industry 

  The Visa Global Travel Intentions Study 2023 was conducted by 4SIGHT Research & Analytics in April to June 2023 and surveyed 15,467 respondents across Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mainland China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Spanning over a decade, the biennial GTI survey sheds light on travel and payment behaviours while capturing emerging trends in the travel landscape.

  Kantar 2023 Brand Z Most Valuable Brands, https://www.kantar.com/campaigns/brandz-downloads/kantar-brandz-most-valuable-global-brands-2023, Visa ranks first in the payment ecosystem brands category.

  Forbes World’s Most Valuable Brands List, https://www.forbes.com/powerful-brands/list, Visa ranks ahead of all other financial services brands.

  Visa’s Zero Liability Policy does not apply to certain commercial card and anonymous prepaid card transactions or transactions not processed by Visa. Cardholders must use care in protecting their card and notify their issuing financial institution immediately of any unauthorized use. Contact your issuer for more detail.

in Cambodia. Today, travelers visiting Cambodia can use their Visa cards at more than 23,500 merchant locations across the country.

“Consumers around the world are shifting to contactless payments because they make transactions fast and secure. The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) has been at the forefront of responding to this consumer need through their forward-looking expansion of cross-border linkages in the region,” said Ms. Ivana Tranchini, Visa Country Manager for Cambodia. “Visa is committed to empowering businesses with the latest payment technologies and enabling contactless payments to support the growth of tourism in Cambodia. With our new toolkit, we hope to facilitate the widespread adoption of digital payments among SMBs, addressing the needs of the travel ecosystem and aligning with the preferences of today's travelers.”

Contactless cards use the same security as chip cards by generating a transaction-specific, one-time-use code, thus protecting payment information. Contactless payments also improve throughput for merchants and reduce the handling of cash, while faster transaction times mean shorter lines and less chance of lost sales.