Background
The Ministry of Tourism serves as the principal government body responsible for tourism policy and sector oversight, while the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia provides institutional legal advisory capacity to public and private stakeholders. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Tourism and the Bar Association is effective from 2026 through 2030.
The document sets out concrete governance mechanisms to support legal drafting, dispute facilitation, and capacity building for the tourism sector. Under the agreement, the Bar Association will provide legal advice, assist with drafting and revision of tourism-related laws and regulations, participate in dispute resolution efforts related to tourism, and deliver legal training for Ministry of Tourism officials.
Key Developments
On 3 September 2026 the Ministry of Tourism and the Bar Association signed a four-year Memorandum of Understanding to renew and expand cooperation that began with an initial MoU signed on 22 March 2021. The signing ceremony in Phnom Penh was presided over by H.E. HUOT Hak, Minister of Tourism, and H.E. SAING Vannak, President of the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The renewed agreement explicitly covers support for a program of ten legislative projects related to tourism and foresees seminars and outreach activities to raise legal awareness among lawyers and the public.
Institutional Role
The Bar Association is positioned as a technical legal partner to the Ministry, providing expert review of draft instruments and recommendations on identified gaps in the Law on Tourism and other relevant legal instruments. The Ministry retains responsibility for policy direction and for advancing legislative proposals through Cambodia’s formal lawmaking process, while the Bar Association contributes advisory, training, and dispute-resolution support within the scope of the MoU.
Operational Implications
The agreement commits both institutions to joint activities including drafting assistance, capacity-building workshops for ministry officials, and public outreach to promote legal awareness in the tourism sector. These coordinated actions create an institutional pathway for translating legal recommendations into drafted instruments and for building administrative capacity to implement and interpret tourism-related rules.
Official Source
Ministry of Tourism announcement of 3 September 2026, Phnom Penh; original source published by the Ministry of Tourism and reported in English and Khmer by the Ministry’s communications channels.
