Cambodia, Laos eye tourism boost to mark 70 years of diplomatic ties

Cambodia, Laos eye tourism boost to mark 70 years of diplomatic ties

Congratulating both nations, Prime Minister Hun Manet emphasises the ‘Two Countries, One Destination’ campaign to accelerate cross-border tourism and draw more global travellers.

Celebrating 70 years of Cambodia-Laos diplomatic relations, Prime Minister Hun Manet highlighted efforts to promote tourism flow through the ‘Two Countries, One Destination’ initiative, aiming to attract more domestic and international tourists to both countries.

The ceremonies of the “70th Anniversary of Cambodia–Laos Diplomatic Relations” were presided over by Minister of Tourism Huot Hak and Lao Minister of Culture and Tourism Suanesavanh Vignaket and were held in both countries from Monday to today.

In a post on his official Facebook account, Mr Hun Manet highlighted the traditional friendship, solidarity and close cooperation between the two neighbouring countries, saying the occasion would help strengthen mutual understanding, trust and enduring ties between their peoples.

The premier wrote, “This event stands as a testament to the traditional friendship, solidarity, and close cooperation between Cambodia and Laos. It also contributes to strengthening mutual understanding, trust, and enduring ties between the peoples of both countries.”

“Meanwhile, Cambodia and Laos are jointly promoting tourism under the ‘Two Countries, One Destination’ initiative to attract more domestic and international tourists to northeastern Cambodia and southern Laos, he added.

The tourism push comes as arrivals from Laos have declined sharply in recent years, with the latest Ministry of Tourism figures showing a continued downward trend that has significantly reduced the number of tourists from Laos in the Kingdom.

According to the MoT Tourism Statistics Report, Cambodia received 372,285 tourists from Laos in 2023, up 302% from 92,609 in 2022, making Laos the fourth-largest source of international visitors after Thailand, Vietnam and China.

However, arrivals declined 10.2% to 334,448 in 2024 before plunging 60.7% to 131,472 in 2025, taking Laos out of Cambodia’s top 10 source markets last year.

The downward trend continued in the first eight months of 2026, with Cambodia recording 14,079 arrivals from Laos, down 88.5% from the same period last year. Laos visitors accounted for just 0.6% of the Kingdom’s 2,252,698 international arrivals during the period.

The decline coincided with a broader contraction in Cambodia’s tourism market, as total international arrivals fell 44.4% year-on-year in January-August.

Concerns over online scams and border tensions with Thailand have also posed challenges for the tourism sector, although the available figures do not establish their specific impact on Laos arrivals.

In August alone, Cambodia received 2,065 visitors from Laos, down 17.9% from 2,515 in the same month last year, representing 0.8% of total international arrivals for the month.

Holiday travel accounted for 1,696 Laos arrivals in August, followed by business travel at 358 and other purposes at 11. Female visitors totalled 1,026.

The ‘Two Countries, One Destination’ initiative aimed to promote attractions in both countries as complementary travel experiences, encouraging visitors to explore northeastern Cambodia and southern Laos during their trips.

The anniversary celebrations also provide an opportunity for the neighbours to reinforce bilateral cooperation and people-to-people connections through tourism, building on seven decades of diplomatic relations.

khmertimeskh