Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia and Thailand have been appointed as the developers of the “ASEAN Competence Standard for MICE & Event Professionals” within the ASEAN Mutual Recognition of Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP).

ASEAN MRA-TP's function is to support the mobility of professional manpower in the tourism sector in ASEAN, resources and institutional affairs.

Deputy at the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry of Malaysia, Diah Martini Mohamad Paham was quoted by local media as saying that the goal is to create ASEAN member countries' mutual recognition in applying professional manpower competence standards in tourism and mobilize manpower exchange among regional countries.

Paham said that Indonesia is considered to have the privilege of the early development of work standards in ASEAN through the adoption of domestic work standards. However, she held that Jakarta needs to catch up in terms of tourism human resources so that it does not become a spectator within its own country.

To this end, collaboration between pentahelix stakeholders is important. There must be a regulatory alignment within the education, vocation, and training worlds, she noted.

In line with the 4 AS work ethic (hard work, smart work, complete work, and sincere work) promoted by the Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno, Paham said she believes that Indonesian tourism human resources can compete and even enter international markets.

The outcomes of Indonesia’s national convention on ASEAN MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) Toolboxes, which was held earlier this week in Jakarta, will be presented at the ASEAN Tourism Professional Monitoring Committee Meeting (ATPMC) in Cambodia on December 6–8, she added./.  
VNA