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Philippines and Thailand strengthen tourism ties with new agreement

The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) has signed a cooperation agreement on tourism with its Thailand counterpart.

The agreement was formally signed on January 19th by Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Thailand Minister of Tourism and Sports Sorawong Thienthong in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

The newly signed program will run from 2025 to 2030, focusing on enhancing bilateral tourism cooperation and promoting mutual growth within the tourism sectors of both nations.

The agreement emphasizes several key areas of focus: strengthening travel facilitation, enhancing research and development, and improving tourism management and operations through tourism cooperation.

It also aims to facilitate the exchange of successful strategies in sustainable tourism, cultural heritage tourism, and domestic tourism development.

Furthermore, the program encourages collaboration with tourism-related institutions to share technical materials and conduct training programs for professionals, aimed at human resource development.

Additionally, it includes plans for initiating collaborative marketing efforts, such as joint promotional packages and familiarization tours for media and travel agents.

To ensure effective implementation, a Joint Working Group (JWG) will be established to oversee coordination and monitor the program’s activities and deliverables.

This initiative builds on a longstanding partnership established by the original Agreement on Cooperation on Tourism, which was signed in Manila on March 24th, 1993.

Secretary Frasco expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, that “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.”

Frasco highlighted that the Philippines stands to benefit from Thailand’s robust arrival numbers and internationally recognized cultural heritage, as well as its world-class medical services, which will enhance the Philippines’ own tourism offerings.

In return, she noted that Thailand could gain from the Philippines’ expertise in hospitality and premier destination for dive tourism and English language education.

Minister Thienthong echoed Frasco’s sentiments, expressing gratitude for the memorandum of understanding and the anticipated exchange of knowledge and technology between the two countries.

Thailand stands to gain from the Philippines’ experience and expertise in the gaming space – both for land-based and online (if Thai authorities decide to pursue the online gaming route). The new framework ends in 2030, with Thai authorities hoping to open the nation’s first integrated resort in the country by 2029.

Nelson Moura
Nelson Mourahttp://agbrief.com
Editor and reporter with 10 years of experience in Greater China, namely Taiwan and Macau, in printed and online media, with a focus on finance, gaming, politics, crime, business and social issues.

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