Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism and UNESCO have agreed to continue their cooperation towards the promotion of sustainable tourism development and cultural preservation in Cambodia.

The agreement was made in a meeting here on Wednesday between H.E. Sok Soken, Cambodian Minister of Tourism, and Mr. Sardar Umar Alam, UNESCO representative to Cambodia.

According to a press release of the Ministry of Tourism, during the meeting, H.E. Minister extended a warm welcome to Mr. Sardar Umar Alam, who has made significant contributions to the aim of preserving Cambodia’s natural and cultural heritage, particularly with the recent inclusion of Koh Ker archeological site as a World Heritage Site.

Mr. Sardar Umar Alam congratulated H.E. Minister, who was recently appointed as Minister of Tourism, and expressed his appreciation for the legacy of Samdech Vibol Panha Sok An that formed a solid foundation in the preservation of Cambodia’s cultural heritage to present day.

Mr. Sardar Umar Alam also expressed his appreciation for the excellent relationship between the Ministry of Tourism and UNESCO in working together to safeguard Cambodia’s ancient temples, culture and traditions and to promote sustainable tourism development. He also mentioned various projects related to the tourism sector, requesting the support of the Ministry of Tourism to jointly study the possibility of inscribing more Cambodia’s cultural and natural heritage sites to UNESCO World Heritage List.

H.E. Minister and Mr. Sardar Umar Alam agreed on initiatives to promote the conservation and development of tourism in Cambodia, where tourism continues to serve as one of the main economic pillars that contribute to the socio-economic development and the improvement of the livelihood of the people.

Both sides also expressed their commitment to further strengthen and expand cooperation through the joint implementation of new projects related to tourism and cultural preservation.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse