Cambodia's travel industry applauded a recent agreement to allow direct flights to Kuwait, saying the move could give a much-needed boost to the sector.

"Kuwait is a rich country and we look forward to seeing more visitors from there," said Ho Vandy, president of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents.

"I know that we will receive a lot of tourists from this country," he said.

The Cambodian government said it would send a team to Kuwait to design a promotional campaign to attract visitors.

"Next month Kuwait will have direct flights to Cambodia and, under this new agreement, we expect to see 50,000 tourists this year and 100,000 next year [from Kuwait]," Minister of Tourism Thong Khon told reporters after returning from Kuwait Friday.

Only about 700 Kuwaitis visited Cambodia in 2008.

Cambodia has seen a flood of investment from the Middle East, mainly from Kuwait and UAE, with Israel's first trade and investment delegation planned in March.