KPL
The 2nd Meeting of the Laos-Cambodia Tourism Ministers was convened on 15 December 2025 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia bringing together senior tourism officials from both countries to review progress and deepen bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector.
The meeting was co-chaired by Ms. Darany Phommavongsa, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Mr. Huot Hak, Minister of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
During the meeting, the Ministers praised the strong spirit of solidarity and the continued close cooperation between the two countries since the 1st Ministerial Meeting held in 2023.
They noted the successful implementation of the Lao-Cambodian Joint Action Plan on Tourism Cooperation 2025–2026 and formally adopted its revised version, along with the Agreed Minutes of the 4th Meeting of the Lao-Cambodian Joint Tourism Working Group.
The Ministers exchanged views on tourism policies and regulatory frameworks, discussed emerging travel trends, and reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening and expanding bilateral cooperation. They emphasized the importance of promoting sustainable, inclusive, and resilient tourism development for the mutual benefit of both countries.
Tourism statistics shared at the meeting highlighted steady growth in cross-border travel. In 2024, Cambodia received 6.7 million international tourists, including 334,448 visitors from the Lao PDR, while the Lao PDR welcomed 3.31 million international tourists, of which 17,648 were from Cambodia. In the first ten months of 2025, Cambodia recorded 4.75 million international arrivals, including 127,161 from the Lao PDR, while the Lao PDR received 3.75 million international tourists, including 26,628 Cambodian visitors.
The Ministers also underscored the need to enhance human resource development and capacity building by encouraging participation in tourism-related seminars, workshops, training programmes, and conferences. They supported greater exchanges among government and non-government officials, private sector representatives, experts, academics, and media professionals.
Furthermore, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening tourism product development and connectivity by jointly promoting gastronomy tourism, cultural and heritage tourism, community-based tourism, and ecotourism. Efforts will also focus on enhancing links between border provinces through the organization of joint events, including festivals and sports activities, to further boost people-to-people exchanges and regional tourism growth.
KPL
