Background
The Ayeyawady–Chao Phraya–Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) provides a platform for regional coordination among Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam on shared economic sectors, including tourism. The 7th ACMECS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting brought together tourism ministers and official representatives from the five member countries in Ho Chi Minh City on 27 August 2026.
The Joint Action Plan on ACMECS Tourism Cooperation 2026–2028 was adopted by the five member states and identifies priority areas such as development and connectivity of joint tourism products, travel and transport connectivity, joint tourism marketing, human resource development, promotion of digital technology in tourism, and sustainable tourism development. The plan frames a multi-year, cooperative agenda intended to increase intra-ACMECS tourist flows and attract international tourists from third countries.
Key Developments
The ministers took note of the Report of the 7th ACMECS Senior Tourism Officials’ Meeting and formally approved the Joint Action Plan and a Joint Statement on regional tourism cooperation. Cambodia participated with high-level endorsement from Prime Minister Hun Manet and a delegation led by H.E. Huot Hak, who attended as part of Cambodia’s presence at the 20th International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE-HCMC 2026).
Policy Context
The Joint Action Plan prioritises operational elements that governments commonly coordinate to enable cross-border tourism, including development of joint tourism packages and measures to strengthen travel and transport connectivity among member states. The plan explicitly links joint marketing and human resource development with efforts to increase regional competitiveness and to attract tourists from third countries, while promoting sustainable tourism practices and digital technology adoption in the sector.
Institutional Role
Implementation of the Joint Action Plan will require coordination among national tourism ministries, private-sector partners, and international cooperation stakeholders to prepare shared tourism products and promotional campaigns. The plan highlights roles for capacity development in tourism human resources and for private-sector engagement to support package development, marketing, and transport connectivity initiatives.
Source
Ministry of Tourism (Cambodia) Facebook post, 27 August 2026: https://www.facebook.com/cambodia.tourism.ministry/posts/pfbid0unzBNmGtrrPNVPptFHJyXvEboNhSZtWAeaBkr5jCCjAdso84guU61nEY3Q5zsv9Ll
