AKP Phnom Penh, June 18, 2026 --

Cambodia and Myanmar have agreed to advance tourism cooperation through plans to establish a sister-city relationship between Siem Reap and Yangon, two historic heritage and tourism cities in ASEAN.

The agreement was discussed during a working meeting between H.E. Huot Hak, Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism, and H.E. Aung Naing Thu, Chief Minister of the Yangon Region Government, during the Cambodian Minister’s working visit to Yangon on June 17.

The meeting focused on strengthening and expanding tourism collaboration in a more practical and effective manner, building on the existing Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation between the two sides.

Welcoming the Cambodian delegation, the Yangon Chief Minister expressed appreciation for Cambodia’s tourism achievements, particularly in cultural, historical, and religious tourism, which continue to attract increasing numbers of international visitors.

Both sides agreed to enhance exchanges of experiences and best practices in destination management, religious tourism development, and cultural heritage conservation. Cooperation will also be expanded between Yangon and Cambodia’s major tourism destinations, including Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

A key outcome of the meeting was the proposal to establish Siem Reap and Yangon as sister cities, reflecting shared strengths as heritage and tourism destinations and opening opportunities for deeper institutional and tourism links.

The two sides also agreed to jointly organide tourism promotion activities and participate in tourism fairs and exhibitions to raise awareness of each destination’s tourism potential.

In addition, Cambodia and Myanmar reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the “Two Countries, One Destination” initiative, positioning the two countries as complementary tourism destinations and encouraging regional travel.

Discussions further highlighted opportunities to promote Buddhist pilgrimage tourism by leveraging the rich religious heritage shared by Cambodia and Myanmar. Cultural exchanges, festivals, and tourism products were also identified as areas for stronger collaboration to deepen people-to-people connections.

During the meeting, H.E. HuoT Hak encouraged Yangon-based tourism enterprises, hotel operators, travel agencies, and investors to explore investment opportunities in Cambodia’s tourism sector and proposed organising tourism investment forums and business matching activities to strengthen private-sector engagement.

By C. Nika