PHNOM PENH (TOP) – The Government of Timor-Leste is highly committed to immediately developing the tourism sector and one way is to regulate tourism activities and exchange of officials to enhance cooperation in the tourism industry with Cambodia.
Tourism in Cambodia is one of the most important sectors in the country's economy. In 2013, tourism arrivals increased by 17.5 percent year on year, with business travelers increasing 47 percent.
Cambodia’s service sector has largely been driven by tourism, which is a major earner of foreign exchange and an important source of income and employment for the country’s formal and informal sectors. Large numbers of international tourist arrivals have supported the expansion of hotel and restaurant businesses, as well as businesses in other industries such as wholesale and retail trade, transport, and communications.
Cambodia’s travel and tourism industry is a vital engine of the country’s economic growth. It directly contributes 11.5% to gross domestic product, generates tourism receipts equivalent to $2.2 billion, and sustains 782,500 jobs (12.4% of total employment). The sector has the potential to develop further, providing opportunities to increase foreign exchange earnings, diversify economic growth, and create new jobs, especially for the poor and women. On a global scale, it has proved to be a resilient industry, recovering quickly from crises and growing fast, particularly in Asia.
Related to this progress, Vice-Prime Minister and Minister Coordinator for Economic Affairs and Minister of Tourism and Environment, Dato Sri Francisco Kalbuadi Lay has made a working visit to the capital city of Phnom Penh from 28 – 30 August 2023.
During this visit, he has discussed the potential for collaboration in promoting tourism and facilitating tourist travel between the two countries.
The discussion took place between Sok Soken, Minister of Tourism and Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Tourism and Environment of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste in Phnom Penh on 28 August.
"After the Covid-19 pandemic, tourists visiting Cambodia each year reached 13 million. This is what we need to learn and my visit here is only to continue Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão's relationship with Hun Sen, and now Hun Manet as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia who is also my good friend," Deputy Prime Minister Dato Sri Francisco Kalbuadi Lay explain.
Minister Soken expressed his appreciation for the firm commitment of the Timor-Leste government in deepening bilateral relations between the two countries since the time of the former Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen, and under the leadership of the newly appointed Prime Minister, Kitti Tesaphibal Pakar Hun Manet.
The Minister also expressed his readiness to cooperate with Timor-Leste to organize tourism activities and exchange of officials to enhance cooperation in the tourism industry.
Dato Sri Francisco Kalbuadi Lay congratulated the Royal Government of Cambodia's success in the recent elections, expressed his satisfaction with the good relations between the two countries, and highlighted the efforts made to strengthen and deepen relations and cooperation between the two countries. In particular, he also recalled the importance of official Hun Sen's visit on 19-20 August 2016 to Timor-Leste which opened the way to many key areas of cooperation including tourism.
The deputy prime minister of Timor-Leste also reaffirmed the willingness of the Timorese people to visit Cambodia and said that deepening tourism cooperation between the two countries was essential to realizing this goal.
The two sides expressed their commitment to further enhance tourism cooperation by accelerating the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on tourism cooperation between Cambodia and Timor-Leste, which aims to enhance cultural and economic exchanges, build stronger people-to-people ties, and promote more big. mutual benefit and mutual trust between the two countries.
