Cambodia backs Thai-led 6-country single visa plan

Cambodia has agreed with the Thai government’s initiative to facilitate cross-border travel for tourists from six countries in the region through a single visa policy called “6 Countries, 1 Destination”, positioning Thailand as a regional tourism hub, according to a source at Government House.
The move came after talks between Cambodian Minister of Tourism Huot Hak and Dusit Manapan and Chayika Wongnapachant, advisors to the Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, to discuss cross-border travel and promoting seamless tourism on Monday in Phnom Penh.
The source said the Cambodian tourism minister supported Thailand’s “6 Countries, 1 Destination” policy and agreed to discuss the issue further with Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior, Customs Department and other relevant agencies.
The source said the feedback from these agencies will be proposed to Cambodia’s cabinet for consideration ahead of an official visit by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
The “6 Countries, 1 Destination” initiative aims to promote tourism and economic collaboration between Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.
The Thai government plans to begin policy discussions with Cambodia as a pilot project, with the goal of eventually expanding cooperation to other countries soon.
The meeting also discussed various strategies to enhance tourism cooperation. Key points included strengthening private sector cooperation in the tourism industry, creating linked tourism routes, especially those connecting Unesco heritage sites and increasing flight connections between the six countries.
Additionally, a regional tourism calendar was proposed to link key festivals, such as the Thai-Lao-Khmer New Year and Chinese New Year, while offering tourists hotel discounts and special, quicker immigration channels, the source said.
There was also talk of knowledge-exchange programmes and activities to build tourism business networks within the region.
Another topic was improving transport links, with focus on expanding travel options by land, water, rail and air, such as, Thai Airways’ programmes to increase flights to Siem Reap in Cambodia, as well as water and rail routes linking Thailand’s Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat with Cambodia’s Koh Kong, Sihanoukville, Kampot and Kep provinces.