In his opening remarks, Cambodian Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said the programme is part of the events to celebrate the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Vietnam (June 24, 1967 - 2022), and the 55th of ASEAN.

It marks the step-by-step opening of tourism activities in ASEAN launched at the 25th Meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers at the 2022 ASEAN Tourism Forum in Preah Sihanouk province of Cambodia, and contributes to fostering tourism cooperation in the spirit of the bilateral meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh on the sidelines of the ASEAN-US Special Summit in 2022, towards fully restoring tourism activities between the two countries in the time to come, he noted.

This event aims to popularise Cambodia's famous tourist destinations and foods, as well as seek measures to strengthen tourism cooperation between Cambodia and Vietnam - one of Cambodia's potential markets in ASEAN, he said.

In the first eight months of 2022, Cambodia welcomed over 1 million foreign tourism arrivals, surging by 580% year-on-year. The country expectes to serve 1.5-2 million international tourists in 2022.