Myanmar, Cambodia to boost cooperation in tourism

via CAAI

(philstar.com) Updated January 16, 2011

YANGON (Xinhua) - Myanmar and Cambodia have agreed to boost cooperation in tourism industry and planned direct flight between the two countries, the official daily New Light of Myanmar reported Sunday.

The discussions were made between a Cambodiam delegation, headed by Secretary of the Office of the Council of Ministers Takreth Samrach and their Myanmar counterparts, headed by Deputy Minister of Hotels and Tourism U Aye Myint Kyu and Deputy Minister of Transport U Nyan Tun Aung.

The report did not disclose further details of the outcome of the discussions.

Myanmar and Cambodia have planned to launch direct flight between Siem Reap and two Myanmar ancient cities - Bagan and Mandalay.

The plan of introducing Siem Reap-Bagan-Mandalay air route was prompted by the 4th Ayeyawady Chaophraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) summit and 5th CLMV Summit in November last year, which was aimed at developing tourism industry in the subregion.

Prime ministers of Myanmar and Cambodia U Thein Sein and Hun Sen last met in Phnom Penh in the month expressing wishes to initiate direct flight between the two countries to boost cooperation in tourism.

Since 2007, Myanmar and Cambodia have been working in collaboration for realization of direct air link and visa exemption, aiming to promote tourism industry between the two countries.

The work plan includes diverting more tourists from Cambodia's Siem Reap to Myanmar's Bagan, both of which are tourist destinations of the two countries, as Siem Reap has developed a tourism market enough for such diversion.

About 500,000 world tourists visited Siem Reap annually from where more than 100,000 could be induced to Bagan, tourism officials said.

Myanmar and Cambodia signed three agreements in October 1996 on tourism cooperation, air services and establishment of sister cities between Bagan (Myanmar) and Siem Reap (Cambodia).

Myanmar signed bilateral air transport accord with Cambodia in 1995 among others with Laos and Vietnam.