On October 6, 2026, His Excellency Huot Hak, Minister of Tourism, met with His Excellency Thamer Mohammed A Algosaibi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Cambodia, who is based in Hanoi, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, for a courtesy call and working meeting to discuss strengthening and expanding tourism cooperation between the two countries, at the Ministry of Tourism headquarters.
At the outset, His Excellency Huot Hak extended a warm welcome to the Ambassador and congratulated him on his appointment as the new Ambassador, while also expressing his appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its continued cooperation with Cambodia across various sectors. He highly valued the friendship and excellent cooperation between the two countries over nearly 16 years.
His Excellency Huot Hak affirmed that the Ministry of Tourism is fully prepared to continue strengthening and expanding cooperation with the Saudi side, particularly in the tourism sector, in order to make the cooperation more effective and mutually beneficial.
In addition, the Minister reiterated that tourism is one of Cambodia's priority sectors and an important pillar of the national economy, and reaffirmed that Cambodia remains a safe and warm destination, ready to welcome tourists from all markets. In this regard, Cambodia is promoting the campaigns "Cambodia: The Kingdom of Wonder, A Warm Welcome Awaits" and "Visit Cambodia in the Green Season" to attract more international tourists, particularly from the Middle East region.
In response, the Ambassador affirmed his commitment to promoting stronger and more tangible tourism cooperation.
Through in-depth discussions and exchange of views, both sides agreed to expedite consideration of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on tourism cooperation between the two countries and to coordinate the organization of a Familiarization Trip (FAM Trip) for tour operators, content creators on social networks, and media of both countries, in order to learn about each other's tourism potential and to promote tourist destinations, as well as to boost investment, marketing, and joint promotion of Muslim-friendly tourism. As a key point, both sides will jointly cooperate to encourage Saudia Airlines to explore the possibility of establishing direct and regular flights between Cambodia and the city of Riyadh.
It should be noted that Cambodia and Saudi Arabia have established diplomatic relations since October 19, 2010, with tourism cooperation between the two countries being continuously strengthened through Cambodia's support for the establishment of the regional office of UN Tourism in Riyadh, and its support for Saudi Arabia's hosting of the UN Tourism General Assembly in 2025 in Riyadh. By: Srey Pi
