Kuala Lumpur: The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on tourism cooperation between Malaysia and South Korea last night is expected to yield long-term benefits for both countries.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the agreement aims to boost cultural exchange, increase tourist arrivals, enhance tourism revenue, and create new economic opportunities. It said the MoU also represents an ongoing effort to strengthen collaboration between Malaysia and South Korea in the tourism sector.

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) emphasized that the MoU underlines the mutual commitment to increase understanding, exchange, and cooperation in various aspects of tourism. The key areas of focus under the agreement include tourism promotion and marketing, capacity building, sharing tourism information and best practices, increasing business tourism (MICE), and developing community-based tourism and ecotourism.

The MoU was signed in conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2025. It was signed by Malaysian Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing and South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Yu Inchon. The signing was witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who also opened the forum.

ATF 2025 aims to promote regional tourism products, facilitate the exchange of knowledge, as well as create networks and increase cooperation with leaders in the global tourism industry to increase the number of tourists visiting ASEAN. This is the second time Malaysia hosted the ATF, with the first in Kuching, Sarawak in 2014.