Cambodia invites Philippine air carriers to explore more routes

MANILA, Philippines — Cambodia is inviting Philippine airlines to fly to two new international airports — one near the temples of Angkor Wat and another opening later this year in the capital of Phnom Penh — as both countries agreed to renew their tourism partnership.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet made the pitch during his first visit to Manila, where he and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed the signing of eight bilateral agreements, including the renewal of a tourism cooperation deal. 

Both leaders held a bilateral meeting at Malacañan Palace on Tuesday, February 11, as part of Hun Manet's two-day visit starting yesterday. 

"I invited through President Marcos the Philippine carriers to explore additional routes. To support this new initiative Cambodia offers a new gateway to the world in our historical city of Angkor," the Cambodian leader said at a press conference following his talks with Marcos.

Hun Manet said Cambodia's airport in Angkor — the Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport — is already operational, while another international airport in Phnom Penh is set to open later this year. 

The Cambodian leader also said at a forum with business leaders on Monday, February 11 that he has discussed with Marcos "the possibility of increasing more direct flights in addition to the Manila - Pnom Penh route." 

Continued tourism ties. Besides floating the possibility of more flight routes between the two countries, the Philippines and Cambodia agreed on a new "implementation program" on an existing memorandum of understanding on tourism cooperation. 

The agreement, according to the Philippines' Department of Tourism, builds on the tourism cooperation between the two nations, which began with the signing of first memorandum in 2000. 

The new implementation program, which will run through 2028, includes an exchange of tourism professionals, the sharing of best practices in tourism development, and shared tourism events and promotional activities, among others.

Marcos said the agreement would lead to "more vibrant exchanges between Filipinos and Cambodians learning together... as well as experiencing the hospitality, warmth, and natural wonders of our respective countries."

Other agreements signed during Hun Manet's visit covered eliminating double taxation, agricultural cooperation, technical vocational training, digital transformation, competition law implementation, investment promotion, and preventing the trafficking of cultural properties.

The bilateral meeting also tackled food security, with Cambodia offering to supply rice to the Philippines. 

According to the tourism department, the Philippines received 4,268 visitor arrivals from Cambodia in 2024.

Meanwhile, the number of Filipino tourists in Cambodia has increased two-fold from 2022 to 2024, going from 29,000 to almost 70,000, Hun Manet said at the same forum with business leaders.