Oknha Chip Yuthary, President of the Cambodia-International Economic Cooperation Association, led the vice president and members of the association to attend a meeting to review the progress of the tourism working group (Group “B”) of the Government-Private Sector Forum.
His Excellency Huot Hak, Minister of Tourism, chaired the meeting to review the progress of the tourism working group (Group "B") of the Royal Government-Private Sector Forum, which is an important mechanism to strengthen the partnership between the Royal Government and the private sector to jointly review the progress of work, resolve challenges, respond to requests from the private sector, and identify key measures to restore and strengthen the resilience of the Cambodian tourism sector.
Speaking at the meeting, HE the Minister highlighted that the meeting was important and timely, especially in the context that Cambodia's tourism sector is facing a significant decline in international tourists in the first half of 2026, affected by many challenging factors, including negative news and cybercrime, Cambodia-Thailand border issues, as well as tensions and wars in the Middle East, which have driven up fuel prices and affected international travel.
In the context of the above challenges, HE the Minister highlighted that the Royal Government of Cambodia has been introducing a series of intervention measures to support the private sector. At the same time, public-private partnerships are a necessary force in turning challenges into opportunities and promoting the revival of the tourism sector.
The meeting also noted and highly appreciated the efforts of representatives of the state, private sector, and all relevant parties who have achieved significant positive results with 22 measures fully implemented. The most recent measures we have achieved are two: (1) developing the Kulen Mountain area as a natural tourism area, (2) developing the green belt. The Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation to promote green belts in tourism areas and strengthen the efficiency of agricultural production chains on August 1, 2026.
At the same time, the meeting also reviewed and discussed 11 requests from the private sector, including: visa exemption for target markets, tourism development funds to build brands and promote tourism abroad (Branding, marketing and promotion), upgrading major national events to international levels and promoting them more widely, facilitating domestic flight connections from one tourist destination to another, creating a more favorable environment for investment and business in the tourism sector, and other requests. At the same time, the discussion also focused on the proposal to promote more direct flight routes from key target markets, which requires in-depth discussions between tourism, civil aviation, airlines and the private sector.
As a result, the meeting proposed to put forward urgent and specific key measures in a practical and realistic manner, focusing on restoring Cambodia's reputation and positive image on the international stage, strengthening the confidence of international tourists, promoting more active tourism marketing, attracting and hosting more major international events in Cambodia, and promoting more domestic tourism.
