TOURISM: Cambodia, Timor-Leste seek civil aviation cooperation
Mao Havannall (R), minister in charge of SSCA, meets with Ermenegildo Kupa Lopes, Ambassador of Timor-Leste. SSCA
Senior Cambodian officials and a Timor-Leste diplomat have begun talks on civil aviation cooperation between the two nations, according to a State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) statement.
The minister in charge of SSCA Mao Havannall and Timor-Leste Ambassador Ermenegildo Kupa Lopes discussed civil aviation cooperation on Tuesday.
Lopes expressed his appreciation and congratulated the current situation of civil aviation in Cambodia and shared Timor-Leste’s wish to further understand civil aviation development strategy.
Timor-Leste is a small nation in South East Asia covering a total of 15,007 square kilometres with a population of 1.29 million with Dili as its capital. Since becoming independent in 2002, Timor-Leste is seeking to become a member of Asean and Cambodia is supporting its bid.
Even though it is a small nation, Timor-Leste is an intriguing new tourism destination that had been, pre-COVID-19, attracting an increasing number of international travellers keen to experience its coral reefs, beaches, rugged mountains and rich cultural heritage. In terms of tourism, there are different activities to enjoy in Timor-Leste, including culture, history, diving, hiking, whale, dolphin and bird-watching as well as mountain biking.
Lopes recently said that many Timorese want to visit Cambodia, but their plans had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After this global crisis, more Timorese visitors will come to Cambodia, that’s why the Timor-Leste Embassy wants to cooperate further with Cambodia on tourism.
Besides the civil aviation cooperation, Cambodia and Timor-Leste are also working towards signing a Memorandum of Understanding on tourism cooperation between the two countries.
According to a tourism report, in 2019, Cambodia welcomed 179 Timorese visitors. However, in 11 months of 2020, there were only 20.
