Chaktomuk Walk Street: From Creating Hype to Sustaining Momentum

In early 2026, the Phnom Penh Municipal Governor proudly announced that Chaktomuk Walk Street had attracted around 6 million domestic and international visitors in 2025. Since its launch in February 2025, the project has become a public space for tourism, small businesses, food vendors, youth performers, and local households seeking additional income. This shows that Phnom Penh has the potential to create a vibrant tourism space, especially for nightlife and weekend leisure.

Recently, the hype around the walking street appears to have slightly declined. Some vendors have reportedly left the area, including well-known food and beverage brands that returned to selling from their own stores. Few vendor spaces have become vacant, and the crowd no longer feels as dense as during the early launch period. It suggests that Chaktomuk Walk Street may be entering a more difficult second phase: the transition from novelty to sustainability.

One possible reason is product repetition. Many vendors sell similar foods, drinks, and small products. In the early stage, this may not be a problem because visitors come for the atmosphere, curiosity, and social media experience. But over time, when the product mix becomes too repetitive, visitors may feel that there is little reason to return frequently. A walking street cannot rely only on foot traffic. To remain attractive, it must constantly create a sense of discovery through photo-taking spots, diverse food choices, creative activities, and regular events that give visitors new reasons to return.

Another possible reason is the competition between small vendors and bigger brands. For lower-priced food vendors, Chaktomuk Walk Street can still be attractive because the crowd creates direct sales opportunities. But for brands targeting middle- and higher-income customers, the walking street may not always match their market positioning. If visitors mainly come for affordable snacks, casual entertainment, and a relaxed walk, premium brands may struggle to convert attention into actual sales.

Some netizens have raised concerns about the increasing number of people asking for money along the walking street, including children and elderly people. This is a sensitive issue, as it may leave a negative impression on tourists. Authorities have made efforts to maintain a clean and enjoyable environment, but if the issue continues to worsen, tourists may be less likely to return.

All in all, the real challenge is no longer how to bring people there. The challenge is how to make them want to come back. Chaktomuk Walk Street has already achieved its first success: attracting attention. But attention is only the first stage of tourism development. The next stage is building quality, identity, and repeat value. If managed well, Chaktomuk Walk Street can become more than a weekend attraction. It can become a model for urban tourism in Cambodia: a place where public space, local business, youth creativity, and cultural storytelling come together. But if the project depends only on early hype and visitor numbers, it may slowly lose the energy that made it attractive in the first place.