Kingdom agrees to study Thailand’s ‘6-in-1’ tourist visa proposal

In a move to attract more foreign tourists, Cambodia is considering Thailand’s recent proposal on the ‘Six Countries, One Destination’ (6-in-1) travel visa plan.

Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated talks in this regard with Cambodia, according to a top official of Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism yesterday.

Top Sopheak, Ministry of Tourism (MoT) spokesperson, told Khmer Times that Dusit Menapunt, advisor of Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, discussed the proposal with Huot Hak, Minister of Tourism, during a recent courtesy call.

“The ministry is looking forward to the comprehensive concept note and related documents of this initiative through diplomatic channels in the very near future,” Sopheak said.

According to Thailand’s proposal, the ‘Six Countries, One Destination’ plan aims to promote tourism and economic collaboration between Cambodia, Brunei, Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Earlier in the day, Bangkok Post reported that Cambodia’s Tourism Ministry has agreed to discuss the proposal with other stakeholders in the country and take it to the cabinet for consideration ahead of an official visit by Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to the Kingdom.

In another report, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said that advisors of Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dusit and Chayika Wongnapajan, on October 21 met with Hak to discuss measures to facilitate tourism, including border crossing and seamless travel.

The meeting was held after Thailand approved the ‘Six Countries, One Destination’ initiative. Cambodia was chosen as the first country to initiate negotiations under this policy, the report said.

The meeting focussed on the linkage between Thailand and Cambodia, particularly in immigration procedures and the implementation of fast lanes for the applicants of visa on arrival, it said.

The two sides also talked about joint tourism promotion and the development of human resources in the tourism industry.

Dusit and Chayika emphasised strengthening private-sector collaboration in tourism by creating tourism routes connecting world heritage sites, organising a regional tourism calendar to align major festivals, and hosting events to present benefits, including knowledge exchange between human resources in the tourism sector.

Additionally, they explored improving transportation connectivity to expand travel options for tourists by land, water, rail and air.

“Huot Hak said he will discuss the ‘Six Countries, One Destination’ proposal with relevant Cambodian agencies before submitting it for approval by the Cambodian cabinet,” the VNA article said.

It may be recalled that Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Maris Sangiampongsa first disclosed the proposal to the media last September in Bangkok during an overview of his ministry’s plans.

The initial proposal included Myanmar also but the revised one replaced the country with Brunei.

The travel and tourism industry in Cambodia warmly welcomed the move as it can bring more tourists to the country.

Thourn Sinan, Chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (Cambodia Chapter) recently told Khmer Times that a single visa for multiple countries could significantly boost regional tourism.

“It would simplify travel for tourists, making it easier for them to explore multiple destinations in Southeast Asia without the hassle of obtaining separate visas,” Sinan pointed out.

In his view, Cambodia should join the initiative as this could lead to an increase in tourist numbers, which would in turn benefit local economies and promote cultural exchanges as well.

“For Cambodian tourism specifically, this could attract more visitors who might otherwise choose to skip the country due to visa complexities,” Sinan said.

But there are also doubts about the initiative in some quarters as this could be misused by unscrupulous elements including criminal gangs for cross-border crime operations.

“The ‘Six Countries, One Destination,’ visa aims to boost tourism but it raises security concerns as well,” said an article in Thai Examiner.com.

The plan reveals Thailand’s ambition to become a tourism and transit hub in Southeast Asia.

Thai government also hopes to implement an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) visa system, replacing the current visa-free travel for citizens from over 90 countries, which is similar to South Korea’s K-ETA or the UK’s new ETA system.

Thailand attracted over 27 million tourists last year while Cambodia attracted 5.43 million. Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism has set a target to receive 6.4 million international tourists in 2025 and seven million by 2026.

• Tags: Thailand, tourist visa proposal

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