Philippines’ tourism secretary Christina Frasco said through the collaboration the country can benefit from “Thailand’s internationally recognised cultural heritage”.
The Philippines.- Christina Frasco, secretary of the Department of Tourism (DOT) of the Philippines, and Sorawong Thienthong, minister of tourism and sports of Thailand, have signed a five-year cooperation deal to drive mutual growth within both nations’ tourism sectors.
The signing of the “Implementation Program of the Agreement on Cooperation on Tourism” took place on Sunday (January 19) at the DoubleTree Hotel in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. This initiative follows the partnership established by the original Agreement on Cooperation on Tourism, signed on March 24, 1993, in Manila.
Frasco said: “For the Philippines, this collaboration provides an exciting opportunity to tap into Thailand’s remarkable success in attracting visitors, particularly in areas such as cultural tourism and medical tourism. We can benefit from Thailand’s robust arrival numbers, its internationally recognised cultural heritage, and world-class medical services, which will undoubtedly enhance our own tourism offerings.
“In return, Thailand stands to gain from the Philippine expertise in hospitality, where we have earned a reputation for excellence. Additionally, the Philippines is a premier destination for dive tourism—home to some of the world’s most biodiverse marine ecosystems—and for English language tourism, where our world-class language schools attract students from all over the globe.”
Minister Thienthong added: “Thank you for this MOU signing, for exchanging our knowledge and technology and we are looking forward to working with the Philippines.”
The program, which will run from 2025 to 2030, will focus on tourism cooperation, the exchange of best practices, human resource development, the exchange of officials and staff delegation and joint tourism promotions and marketing. To ensure successful implementation, a Joint Working Group (JWG) will be established to oversee coordination and monitor the activities and deliverables of the program.
In 2024, the Philippines received 5.44 million tourist arrivals. That’s an increase of 8.7 per cent when compared to last year. Some 91.4 per cent of arrivals were foreign tourists, including Filipinos residing overseas. The government aimed to attract 7.7 million foreign visitors in full-2024, after exceeding its 2023 arrivals forecast.
