The Philippines Tourism Bureau and the Tianjin Tourism Bureau have signed an agreement to share and benefit from each other’s expertise in a variety of tourism-related domains and to enlarge the scope of mutual cooperation.

The Memorandum of Tourism Cooperation was signed by the Philippines Tourism Bureau Undersecretary Oscar P. Palabyab and Tianjin Tourism Bureau Director General She Qingwen in the Philippines’ capital city of Manila Tuesday.

“The Memorandum will further enhance mutual exchanges and communications between the Philippines and Tianjin in the tourism industry,” said She.

Both sides agree that the Memorandum will go a long way in ensuring a flow of visitors between the two regions in the coming years and give a big push to tourism development. Routine communication mechanics will also be set up between the two parties.

The Memorandum covers, among other things: the exchange of information pertaining to policies related to tourism development, investment opportunities in tourism, experiences in the further expansion of tourism scopes and products, participation of the business communities and other tourism segments in travel exhibitions, environmental protection, tourism culture and tourist festivals.

Several officials attended the signing ceremony, including Zhang Gaoli, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Committee, Liu Hongcai, deputy director of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, as well as other officials from the Tianjin municipal government and related departments of the Philippine government.

Manila is one of the cities that make up the greater metropolitan area of Metro Manila. It is the center of government of the Philippines and one of the central hubs of a thriving metropolitan area, home to over 14 million people. Located on the shores of Manila Bay just west of the geographical center of Metro Manila, it is also known as the National Capital Region. The city is one of 17 cities and municipalities which form the metropolitan area.

The port city of Tianjin lies to the south of China’s capital, Beijing. The metropolitan city is home to over 11.15 million people. Tianjin is divided into 18 county-level divisions, including 15 districts and three counties. Since the Sui Dynasty, Tianjin has developed into a trading center with the opening of the Grand Canal of China. The city is currently experiencing a tourism boom and is renowned for its culture, business and transportation.