Indonesia and Cambodia have enjoyed cordial relations for the last six decades. Now, the two countries aim to deepen their relationship, especially in tourism, trade and investment.

Indonesia, the de facto leader of ASEAN and the largest economy in Southeast Asia, does not have air connectivity to several countries in the region, such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

Cambodia is a rising star in ASEAN with 7.3 percent economic growth last year. With more than 6 million international tourists, Cambodia can become an attractive destination, as many tourists would like to travel from Bali and Yogyakarta, where the world-famous Borobudur temple is located, to Angkor Wat in Cambodia and vice versa.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya met his Cambodian counterpart, Thong Khon, last week on the sidelines of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2019 in Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province, Vietnam.

The ministers discussed the entire gamut of tourism, especially ways and means to increase the number of tourists visiting both countries. The main problem is air connectivity.

Covering the bilateral meeting in Ha Long, Cambodia’s English language daily The Phnom Penh Post reported that tourism industry stakeholders strongly believed that direct flights between the two countries would commence this year.

HOR Nambora (Courtesy of the Cambodian Embassy)

It was not clear, however, when the first flight might be launched and which airline would fly between the two countries.

“We have been negotiating with Indonesia for some time. Indonesia’s Lion Air was interested in flying to Cambodia. It plans to conduct a feasibility study on a route to Cambodia, but no decision has been made yet. It would be good to have direct flights between Phnom Penh and Jakarta or Bali,” Cambodian Ambassador to Indonesia HOR Nambora told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

If a direct route was opened it would be a perfect gift for both countries, which are celebrating 60 years of bilateral relations. The countries established diplomatic ties on Feb. 13, 1959.

To mark this historic occasion, the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh is planning a series of events for the year that focus on culture, cuisine, sport, trade and tourism.

The Cambodian Embassy in Jakarta is also organizing several events in Indonesia.

“We are also planning an event in cooperation with the Indonesian Foreign Ministry in Jakarta this year. We will mainly focus on the promotion of trade, cultural shows, tourism and culinary events,” ambassador Nambora said.

Apparently, both countries deem the promotion of tourism a priority as they seek to develop what they see as huge potential in the tourism industry.

Cambodia’s best: Tourists visit Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The highly popular temple is visited by millions of tourists annually. (AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Both Cambodia and Indonesia have seen rising numbers of foreign tourists in recent years. For example, Cambodia received 6.2 million international tourists in 2018, a significant jump from 5.6 million in 2017.

Likewise, Indonesia, according to Tourism Ministry data, received 14.04 million tourists in 2017, a big jump from 11.52 million foreign tourists in 2016. During the first 11 months of 2018, Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago, welcomed 14.3 million tourists.

According to Cambodian Tourism Ministry data, more than 55,000 Indonesian tourists visited Cambodia in 2018, marking an increase of 11.8 percent from 2017. This growing number of Indonesian tourists may be the catalyst for direct flights between the two countries.

With its 265 million people and $1 trillion economy, Indonesia could easily provide hundreds of thousands of tourists to Cambodia, which is home to the famous Angkor Wat temple, a UNESCO World heritage site. Many Indonesians are interested in visiting Cambodia, which is rich in culture and historical sites and picturesque landscapes.

According to the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh, more than 700 Indonesians, mostly skilled workers, work in several industries in Cambodia.