Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The governments of Indonesia and Cambodia have agreed to increase cooperation in the tourism sector through a memorandum of understanding which was signed by Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno and his Cambodian counterpart Thong Khon.

The document was signed on the sidelines of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) which took place in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on Tuesday (Jan. 18).

On that occasion, Thong Khon stated that the signing of the MoU marked a new chapter of tourism cooperation between the two countries amid ASEAN's efforts to revive the regional economy which was weakened by the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Sandiaga Uno highlighted that the MoU was a symbol of the spirit of the two countries to continue accelerating the recovery of the tourism industry for the people’s welfare, and is part of efforts to restore the national economy.

The MoU covers several areas of cooperation, namely tourism promotion and marketing, tourism destination management, private cooperation, capacity building, MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention, Exhibition) development, and connectivity.

The MoU is a renewal of the cooperation document between Indonesia and Cambodia on tourism which was signed in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta on March 16, 1999.

Within the framework of capacity building, the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh organizes Indonesian language training for Cambodian tourism staff members and tour guides, as well as basic courses about halal tourism.

In November 2021, the Indonesian Embassy held a Virtual Familiarization Trip under the theme 'Exploring the Land of Sunda' to promote tourist destinations in West Java province. The event was warmly welcomed by Cambodians.

Reporting by Indonesia Window