PH, Thailand sign 5-year tourism cooperation agreement
The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Monday said that the country had signed a new five-year tourism cooperation deal with Thailand, a move that has a high potential of increasing the number of tourists visiting from the country of more than 65 million.
The DOT said the “Implementation Program of the Agreement on Cooperation on Tourism” was signed by Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Thailand Minister of Tourism and Sports Sorawong Thienthong on Jan. 19 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
“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 said in a statement.
“We can benefit from Thailand’s robust arrival numbers, its internationally recognized cultural heritage, and world-class medical services, which will undoubtedly enhance our own tourism offerings,” she added.
In return, Frasco said that Thailand stands to gain from the Philippine expertise in hospitality, for which the country is known.
“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,” she added.
The DOT said that the program, which will run from 2025 to 2030, aims to enhance bilateral tourism cooperation, promote mutual growth and development within the tourism sectors of both nations.
It said that the key areas of focus are tourism cooperation, exchange of best practices, human resource development, exchange of officials and staff delegation, and joint tourism promotions and marketing.
“As we position ourselves as ‘two countries, one destination,’ we recognize the incredible potential of combining our strengths to offer travelers a truly unforgettable experience,” Frasco said.
According to records from the DOT, more than 6,400 Thai nationals visited the Philippines in 2022.
