Implementing ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals

In 2015 the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will be launched, aiming to bring a greater integration between ASEAN Member States (AMS). One important criterion for economic communities is the mobility of a skilled labour force, as professionals from various disciplines are able to relocate and work in other AMS. The basis of labour mobility is the mutual recognition of qualifications between ASEAN countries.

ASEAN have established the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP) in order to increase the international mobility of tourism labour across the ASEAN region in line with ASEAN policy. Each ASEAN nation has its own standards, certification and regulations for recognising the competency of workers in the tourism sector. Therefore, there is a need for an MRA to facilitate agreement on what constitutes equivalent competency to work in tourism by a worker, for example from Vietnam, who is seeking a position in Malaysia.

In order to facilitate the implementation of the MRA – TP, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), with support from the GOPA GmbH managed EU- ESRT programme, has produced an ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals Handbook. The Handbook will be endorsed by the ASEAN Tourism Ministers Meeting in Vientiane, Laos in mid-January 2013 and made available to all AMS.

The ESRT Programme held a series of ASEAN MRA – TP (Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals) workshops in collaboration with VNAT in the Northern, Central and Southern regions of Vietnam to inform and discuss the implementation of MRA –TP. Each workshop attracted between 80-100 delegates drawn from government, the tourism industry and vocational education providers – all concerned to know more about the implications of MRA –TP for their business, staff or organization. Keynote presentations, and forums raised many questions and concerns about the impact of MRA and what Vietnam is doing to prepare for the opening of the ASEAN Economic Community.