AKP Phnom Penh, October 18, 2026 --

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet has welcomed initiatives by Kazakhstan-based companies to promote Cambodia through filmmaking and explore the resumption of tourist flights between Astana and Preah Sihanoukville, aiming to strengthen tourism and people-to-people ties between the two countries.

The Prime Minister held separate meetings with Ms. Daubayeva Nurgul, Co-founder and Producer of Daubay Film Production, and Mr. Kursad Bakir, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Selfie Travel Asia, on Saturday afternoon during his official visit to Kazakhstan from Oct. 16 to 17.

During her meeting, Ms. Nurgul briefed Samdech Thipadei on her company's four-month film production activities in Cambodia, which covered Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. She expressed deep gratitude to the Royal Government of Cambodia, particularly the Ministry of Tourism, for its support and facilitation, which contributed to the successful production.

Ms. Nurgul praised Cambodia's rich cultural heritage and beautiful traditions, as well as the friendliness and helpfulness of its people. She said these positive experiences had left lasting memories for her and her team, adding that they hoped to return to Cambodia in the future and regarded the country as being like their homeland, Kazakhstan.

In response, Samdech Thipadei expressed pleasure at hearing the company's positive impressions of Cambodia, noting that such experiences reflected strong people-to-people relations between the two countries. He said the film produced in Cambodia would help Kazakhstan's people learn more about the Kingdom and could attract more Kazakh and other international tourists to visit.

The Prime Minister welcomed Daubay Film Production and the people of Kazakhstan to Cambodia, reaffirming that the Royal Government and relevant ministries and institutions, particularly the Ministry of Tourism, would continue to facilitate and support the business activities, travel and tourism of Kazakh nationals in Cambodia. He also encouraged the company to continue cooperating with the Cambodian side to promote the Kingdom internationally through filmmaking.

Separately, Mr. Bakir informed the Prime Minister about his company's core business in aviation and tourist transportation services. He said Selfie Travel Asia had previously operated tourist flights from Astana to Preah Sihanoukville before suspending the service in 2024 and expressed the company's intention to resume the route, seeking the Royal Government of Cambodia's support to ensure smooth and commercially viable operations.

Samdech Thipadei welcomed the initiative and advised the company to work directly with Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism to explore possible solutions. He encouraged the company to identify attractive and competitive packaged tourism products that could help support the proposed service and make it commercially sustainable.

The Prime Minister highlighted Cambodia's diverse tourism potential, including ecotourism, coastal tourism, cultural and traditional attractions, and ancient temples. He reaffirmed the Royal Government's full support for tourism stakeholders and encouraged Selfie Travel Asia to continue discussions with the relevant Cambodian ministries and institutions, particularly the Ministry of Tourism, to turn its plan into concrete action.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet (R) and Ms. Daubayeva Nurgul, Co-founder and Producer of Daubay Film Production

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet (R) and Mr. Kursad Bakir, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Selfie Travel Asia

By C. Nika