ASEAN (The Association of South East Asian Nations)
Tourism has been an important sector in ASEAN due to its contribution to the GDP and provision of employment at many levels. Therefore, closer cooperation among member states is of the utmost importance. With international arrivals into the ASEAN region increasing over time, ASEAN has an ongoing need to develop both infrastructure and labour mobility to support the sector's development. This needs to be addressed quickly as ASEAN is competing with the other parts of world in attracting international visitors.
Hence there has been a need to develop a common set of standards to enable a freer flow of labour mobility and trade in the region. This has culminated in a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) (signed by all member states) which has allowed a cross recognition of agreed professional training and standards.
As part of the Mutual Recognition Agreement adopted by the ASEAN Tourism Ministers (ATM) in 2009 and the strategic measures outlined in the AEC Blueprint 2025, there is a need to commit to and further develop the tourism sector. In particular to deal with the problems of low employability, low skills and weak synergy with Industry; the following objectives were identified:
- Developing capacity in higher end skills;
- Combining government investment with private sector efficiency;
- Developing a recognised assessment and certification system;
- Developing a skills database / inventory;
- Creating a portal where professionals and industry can interact using a job/skill matching platform.