The signing of the “Implementation Program of the Agreement on Cooperation on Tourism”<\/strong> took place on Sunday (January 19) at the DoubleTree Hotel in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It follows the partnership established by the original Agreement on Cooperation on Tourism, signed on March 24, 1993, in Manila.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The programme, 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\u00a0and joint tourism promotions and marketing. A Joint Working Group (JWG) will be established to oversee coordination and monitor the activities and deliverables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Frasco said: “For the Philippines, this collaboration provides an exciting opportunity to tap into Thailand\u2019s remarkable success in attracting visitors, particularly in areas such as cultural tourism and medical tourism. We can benefit from Thailand\u2019s robust arrival numbers, its internationally recognised cultural heritage, and world-class medical services, which will undoubtedly enhance our own tourism offerings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “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\u2014home to some of the world\u2019s most biodiverse marine ecosystems\u2014and for English language tourism, where our world-class language schools attract students from all over the globe.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thienthong added:\u00a0\u201cThank you for this MOU signing, for exchanging our knowledge and technology and we are looking forward to working with the Philippines.”<\/p>\n\n\n In 2024, the Philippines received 5.44 million tourist arrivals<\/strong>. That\u2019s 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<\/a>, after exceeding its 2023 arrivals forecast<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/01\/image-8-900x600.jpg\")