Hanoi: The 8th CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam) Tourism Ministers’ Meeting was convened in Ho Chi Minh City on August 27. The meeting was presided over by Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh, with the presence of Cambodian Minister of Tourism Thong Khon, Myanmar Union Minister for Hotels and Tourism Maung Myint, and Lao Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Darany Phommavongsa.
According to Lao News Agency, Thanh emphasized the consistent enhancement and strengthening of tourism cooperation among the CLMV countries since their initial joint declaration in 2010 during the International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE-HCMC). She pointed out that the collaboration mechanism has evolved into one of the Mekong subregion’s most enduring and effective frameworks for tourism cooperation. The minister highlighted that the meeting underscored the mechanism’s long-standing significance, reaffirming the commitment to ongoing dialogue, improving connections, and translating commitments into tangible actions, thereby invigorating tourism growth in each nation.
During the meeting, delegates assessed the advancements in cooperation since the 11th CLMV Summit, held under the theme ‘Friendship and Solidarity for a Resilient and Prosperous Community,’ as well as the 7th CLMV Tourism Ministers’ Meeting in Yangon, Myanmar, in November 2024. The execution of joint action programmes has yielded positive outcomes. In 2025, the CLMV countries collectively hosted 32.3 million international visitors, marking a 9.6% increase from 2024, and generating approximately 45.8 billion USD in tourism revenue. Intra-CLMV travellers numbered 3.3 million, constituting about 9.6% of total international arrivals. In the first half of 2026, around 17.1 million international visitors, including 1.7 million intra-regional travellers, visited the four countries.
The countries have intensified efforts in joint promotion and marketing activities, along with tourism workforce training through partnerships with ASEAN and the Greater Mekong Subregion. However, achieving the ‘Four Countries, One Destination’ brand has not fully realized the region’s potential. Challenges remain in linking tourism products, developing tourism corridors, facilitating travel, and conducting joint promotions. The industry is also navigating a rapidly changing global environment influenced by geopolitical tensions, climate change, extreme weather, and rising travel and accommodation costs.
Meanwhile, travellers are increasingly opting for multi-destination itineraries to enhance cost efficiency and experience, relying more on digital platforms and artificial intelligence for tourism services. These trends offer both opportunities and challenges for the ‘Four Countries, One Destination’ model, emphasizing the need to bolster the adaptability and digital skills of tourism workers, especially in remote and disadvantaged regions.
In response, the meeting assessed the execution of the CLMV Tourism Cooperation Programme for 2025-2026 and approved a Joint Action Plan on CLMV Tourism Cooperation for 2026-2028. The plan prioritizes five areas: simplifying travel and enhancing regional connections; promoting the ‘Four Countries, One Destination’ brand using digital tools and smart tourism; skill-building and improving tourism management; advocating sustainable, responsible, and community-based tourism alongside cultural and heritage promotion; and strengthening collaboration with development partners.
Thanh urged the four countries to establish specific targets and indicators for 2026-2028, covering international visitor growth, intra-regional travel, joint tourism products, and new direct air routes. She asserted that such targets would provide a clearer framework for evaluating the effectiveness of the cooperation mechanism at the subsequent meeting.
The 9th CLMV Tourism Ministers’ Meeting is anticipated to be hosted in Cambodia in 2028.
