Myanmar and Cambodia are working in collaboration for realization of direct air link and visa exemption, aiming to promote tourism industry between the two countries, a local media reported Thursday.

 

The work plan includes diverting more tourists from Cambodia's Siemreap to Myanmar's Bagan, both of which are tourist destinations of the two countries, as Siemreap has developed tourism market enough for such diversion, the Yangon Times said.

 

About 500,000 world tourists visited Siemreap last year from where more than 100,000 were induced to Bagan, the report quoted Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon as saying.

 

Myanmar and Cambodia agreed to launch direct flights between the two countries from Bagan and Mandalay to Siemreap during Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen's visit to Nay Pyi Taw last month.

 

The discussions at high-level during the visit also included granting of Myanmar aircraft to land on any airport in Cambodia, according to the report.

 

The two countries' move is a follow-up of three prior agreements signed in October 1996 on tourism cooperation, air services and establishment of sister cities between Bagan (Myanmar) and Siemreap (Cambodia).

 

In 2000, an agreement on mutual exemption of visas for holders of diplomatic and official passports was endorsed.

 

Moreover, Myanmar and Cambodia are joining in a four-country civil aviation cooperation, which also involves Laos and Vietnam to seek development of air transport in the subregion.

 

Under a multilateral agreement reached in Phnom Penh in April 2005, the CLMV countries have sought promotion of air travel and cargo as well as tourism services among the four latest members ofthe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

 

Myanmar signed bilateral air transport accord with Cambodia in 1995 among others with Laos and Vietnam.

 

Meanwhile, Myanmar's first national private airline, the Air Bagan, has planned to stretch its wing to six other Asian destinations in the next four months which include that to Siemreap in late October.

 

According to local statistics, a total of over 630,000 foreign tourists visited Myanmar in 2006 which has over 600 hotels with 23,000 rooms as well as 700 travel and tour companies as of May this year.

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 14, 2007)