Phl, Vietnam ink 3-year tourism plan

MANILA, Philippines - The governments of Vietnam and the Philippines have signed an agreement to come up with a three-year Tourism Cooperation Plan which will specifically focus on the development of the cruise tourism industry.

The agreement seeks to strengthen the existing tourism cooperation efforts between the two countries.

Under the agreement, the two countries shall work together in developing cooperation in the field of cruise tourism in their respective countries through exchange of publications, study materials, and other information and experiences relating to best practices on cruise tourism especially in the development of ports and destinations for cruising.

They have also agreed to jointly organize seminars on cruise tourism development to provide a venue for organizations, agencies, local communities and businesses related to cruise tourism to exchange skills, practical experiences especially on the areas of developing marine tourism, managing tourism activities at port destinations, attracting investments in cruise tourism.

The two countries will also be conducting familiarization trips to relevant cruise ports and destinations and participate international exhibitions, conferences, seminars.

They also agreed to provide support on their respective tourism investment requirements for cruise tourism.

The MOA was signed by Ho Anh Tuan of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Philippine Department of Tourism undersecretary Daniel Corpuz.