The Philippines aims to improve relations with Thailand by entering a 5-year tourism agreement with the goal of enhancing bilateral cooperation and promoting mutual growth and development within both countries’ tourism sectors.
The new “Implementation Program of the Agreement on Cooperation on Tourism” was signed on January 19, 2025 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Johor Bahru, Malaysia by Philippine Department of Tourism Secretary Ms. Christina Frasco and Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports Mr. Sorawong Thienthong.
This tourism agreement follows an existing Agreement on Cooperation signed by the two countries for promoting tourism in 1993.
An Exchange of Knowledge and Best Practices
Secretary Frasco cited Thailand’s “remarkable success in attracting visitors” as an aspect that the Philippines can learn and benefit from, along with the country’s “robust arrival numbers,” integration of cultural heritage in tourism, and offerings in the field of medical tourism.
“In return, Thailand stands to gain from the Philippine expertise in hospitality, where we have earned a reputation for excellence,” Frasco adds, noting that “the Philippines is a premier destination for dive tourism […] and for English language tourism, where our world-class language schools attract students from all over the globe.”
For his part, Minister Thienthong expressed his appreciation for the exchange of knowledge and technology with the Philippines, adding that Thailand is looking forward to the cooperation between the two countries.
Key Areas of Focus Under The Philippines-Thailand Agreement
Under the agreement, five key areas of focus were identified as priorities between the Philippines and Thailand. These key areas of focus put an emphasis on the exchange of knowledge between the two countries.
- Tourism Cooperation: The Philippines and Thailand will prioritize joint marketing efforts as well as training and capacity building for tourism in both countries. Efforts include strengthening travel facilitation between destinations, enhancing research and development in tourism, and improving tourism management and operations.
- Exchange of Best Practices: Both countries promise to share their expertise and strengths in their efforts to encourage tourism. Among the ideas to be exchanged between the two countries are sustainable tourism, cultural heritage tourism, tourism product development, and domestic tourism development.
- Human Resource Development: Both countries have committed to sharing technical knowledge with each other, as well as facilitating training for tourism professionals in their respective countries for the enhancement of key skills.
- Joint Tourism and Marketing: One shared goal between both countries is the increase of tourist traffic between the Philippines and Thailand. To that end, both countries are looking into joint promotional packages and familiarization tours for promotion to professionals.
- Exchange of Officials and Staff Delegation: Both countries will organize visits from officials and tourism professionals to exchange knowledge and best practices, as well as enhancing capacity building for both countries.
As part of the agreement, a Joint Working Group will be established to oversee coordination and monitor activities under the program, which is expected to run between 2025 and 2030.
Thailand and The Philippines by The Numbers
According to the Tourist Authority of Thailand, the country received a total of 420,812 Filipino visitors between January and September 2024, an increase in numbers of 26% from the previous year. Data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports state that Bangkok is a popular destination for Filipinos, along with Pattaya, Ayutthaya, Phuket, and Chiang Mai.
Philippine Department of Tourism statistics state that 23,484 Thai visitors arrived in the Philippines between January and June 2024. This represents an increase of 9.84% from 2023’s numbers, which continues the trend of increasing Thai tourist arrivals post-pandemic.
Apart from regular flights from Manila to Bangkok via both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, new direct flights between Manila and Chiang Mai began operating in November 2024. Flights to and from Bangkok are also available from Cebu, Davao, and Clark international airports, serving both Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi.
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Featured Image by Royal Thai Government
