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The Philippine Travel Agency Association (PTAA) wants to boost the operations of travel agencies, which the association expects to slowly resume operations in the coming months, formalizing an agreement with its Korean counterpart.
In his presentation during the Korea Tourism Organization’s travel webinar, PTAA President Ritchie Tuaño said they wanted to negotiate an agreement with the Korean Association of Travel Agents as soon as possible.
“We would greatly appreciate the drafting and signing of a memorandum of understanding in which both parties will commit to dealing only with accredited travel agencies and tour operators that are members of our two associations,” said Tuaño.
According to Tuaño, an agreement with the Korean industry group would be the first for the association in terms of international peer association and would add to the foundations being made to slowly revitalize the operations of local travel agencies.
Tuaño said South Korea was a top consideration due to the volume of tourist traffic from both sides.
Describing the ideal deal, Tuaño said that in addition to both parties providing a list of their members to work with exclusively, the deal could also cover items such as the standardized cost of itinerary-based travel, the recommended list of destinations. by travel segment and the creation of a complaints and grievances committee.
“Round trip tourism between our two countries has been growing for the past 10 years,” he said. “We want that growth trajectory to continue in the long term.” In addition to partnering with its Korean counterparts, the local industry association is also pushing for 100 percent of entry into South Korea to be visa-free.
Currently, Filipinos are allowed visa-free entry to Jeju Island. There is also the new five-day visa-free entry that comes with the stipulation that Filipino tourists enter through a major city and exit through Jeju Island.
“While we commend the maximum five-day visa-free entry, both governments must work on a full visa-free entry,” Tuaño said, citing the model from Taiwan, which after granting visa-free entry in 2017 saw a rapid increase in Filipinos. . tourists. INQ
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