According to the memorandum of understanding between Cambodia’s State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Sept 16 to open the airways between two nations, Cebu Pacific Air, plans to begin its direct flight to Cambodia from its home in 2010.

Thong Khon, Tourism Minister, was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post saying that the Philippines is a major tourism hub in Southeast Asia, adding that the deal would draw more tourists directly from the Philippines as well as offer another transfer point for tourists traveling from other locations.

The global economic recession affected Cambodia’s tourism industry. According to the ministry’s report, Cambodia’s main international airports, Phnom Penh and Siam Reap, dropped 12.96 percent in the first nine months of year of 2009. But there were 36,608 visitors from the Philippines in this period of 2009.

According to the Post, SSCA Cabinet Chief Long Chheng said the two sides were currently working on ironing out the details of the flights. “I am not sure of the exact date the flights will commence because I have received no confirmation,” he said, adding that an Air Service Agreement (ASA) still must to be signed by both parties.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 9:09 am and is filed under Tourism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.