CAMBODIA’S Minister of Tourism will urge ASEAN members to relax visa restrictions and increase direct flights at a regional tourism investment forum scheduled to start in Vietnam today.

Eased border restrictions could boost visits by land, water and air, increasing the numbers of visitors to Cambodia, Minister Thong Khong said yesterday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 31st anniversary of World Tourism Day at Phnom Penh Hotel, he said: “The number of tourists visiting Cambodia will increase if ASEAN countries can agree to invest in travel and transport across the border.”

Minister Thong Kong will attend the ASEAN Tourism Investment Forum, held in Ho Chi Minh City until September 30, in conjunction with the International Travel Expo, which lasts from September 30 to October 2.

Cambodia Association of Travel Agents President Ang Kim Eang said ASEAN’s population was over 400 million, and that 40 percent of the 2 million tourists visiting Cambodia last year were from ASEAN member countries.