Thai tourism minister has coffee chat with Agoda CCO in Malaysia

Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong led a delegation to a coffee chat with the chief commercial officer of Agoda in Malaysia on Sunday.

The meeting between Sorawong and Agoda CCO Damien Pfirsch was held on the sidelines of ASEAN’s tourism ministerial meeting for 2025, which was held in Malaysia’s Johor Bahru state.

Accompanying Sorawong to the informal meeting at the Hilton Hotel were Vice-Tourism Minister Jakkaphon Tangsutthitham and Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool.

During the informal talk, Pfirsch offered to cooperate with the TAT to promote initiatives kicking off “Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025”.

Agoda is a digital travel platform that helps people find and book accommodations, flights, and other travel-related services.

Pfirsch promised to promote TAT activities that are aimed at drawing more tourists to Thailand in the goal to upgrade the country as a global tourism hub.

Pfirsch also told Sorawong that Agoda statistics last year showed that Bangkok had become the first of the top 10 designations to where Agoda clients booked air tickets on the Agoda platform in 2024.

He said the platform also found that Bangkok ranked second among the 10 most popular destinations on Agoda and Thailand received the most hotel bookings on Agoda.

In reply, Sorawong asked Agoda to help launch public relations campaigns for tourism events in Thailand as well as promote tourism measures that the Thai government might announce this year.