Tourism sector expects to benefit from ASEAN

Tourism sector expects to benefit from ASEAN

The ASEAN Community, scheduled to establish in 2015, is expected to greatly benefit tourism sector as the Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP) among ASEAN members will take effect in all member countries.

The MRA-TP will serve as the foundation to lift tourism cooperation among ASEAN countries.

Currently, ASEAN has built common standards for six tourism areas, including reception, restaurant service and tour operation, with a total 32 work titles, except for tour guide.

Experts held that Viet Nam can apply the standards to save cost in building its own. Vietnamese tourism companies can refer to the standards to improve their service quality and competitiveness. Furthermore, they can recruit qualified workers from other ASEAN countries.

On the part of domestic tourism workers, they have the chance to find better jobs and can easily move to other ASEAN countries.

However, challenges will also come, and the sector will not be able to maximize the opportunities if it fails to enhance its competitiveness.

With the free movement of tourism professionals among ASEAN countries, Vietnamese tourism workers will face fierce competition from their regional rivals who are predicted to flock to Vietnam. Meanwhile, the sector also faces a high risk of brain drain when qualified staff go elsewhere for better working conditions and payment.

In that context, improvement of human resources quality is becoming urgent for Viet Nam’s tourism, which is considered key for the growth of the sector as well as a perquisite condition for its international integration.

According to the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), around 1.8 million employees are working in Viet Nam’s tourism sector, a surge from only 12,000 in 1990. Each year, the sector needs nearly 40,000 new workers, but domestic training establishments graduate only 15,000, resulting in a serious shortage of qualified staff.

In Ho Chi Minh City, as many as 45 percent of local tour guides and operators, and 80 percent of receptionists lack adequate foreign language skills, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

So far, a number of response efforts have been carried out, including the issuance of a revised set of tourism occupational standards (VTOS) to suit international standards. The new VTOS was built by the EU-funded environmentally and socially responsible tourism capacity enhancement programme.

According to statistics from VNAT, ASEAN countries welcomed 97.2 million foreign visitors in 2014, up 3 percent over the previous year, including 28.5 million who travelled inside the bloc./.

Source: VNA

Bài viết liên quan

	Thanh Hoa opens additional display house of Ho Dynasty Citadel An additional display house of the Ho Dynasty Citadel was opened in Vinh Loc district of central Thanh Hoa province on April 21. Detail >>

	Viewing Nha Trang City from Co Tien Mountain Undoubtedly, Nha Trang is renowned as the city of the sea and for its many pristine beaches, and a trip to the peak of Co Tien (Fairy) Mountain will help visitors understand why the central coastal city can magnetize many tourists. Detail >>

	Food&Hotel Viet Nam supports growth of country's hospitality sector Food&Hotel Viet Nam 2015 opened on April 21 as the sourcing and networking platform for the food and hospitality industry in Viet Nam and the surrounding Indochina regions. Detail >>

	Annual int'l kite festival opens in Vung Tau Viet Nam's annual International Kite Festival opened on April 22 in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province's southern beach city of Vung Tau. Detail >>

	Vietnamese tourism popularised in India A delegation from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and 15 leading tourism agents are showcasing their products at the Global Exhibition on Services GES-2015, which is taking place in India from April 23-25. Detail >>

	Hung Temple Festival 2015 opens The 2015 Hung Temple Festival casting the spotlight on the tourism potential of eight north-western localities kicked off on April 25 in the northern province of Phu Tho. Detail >>

	Minister Hoang Tuan Anh meets the EU’s Independent Expert (TITC) – On 22 April 2015, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh had a meeting with the European Union (EU)’s Independent Expert, Ms. Patricia Magaret. Detail >>

	Tourist attractions crowded on reunification holiday Vacationers, at home and abroad, swarmed around places of attractions across Viet Nam during the six-day holiday starting from April 28th to celebrate the 40th anniversary of southern liberation and national liberation (April 30th). Detail >>

	Ben En, home to many rare species We arrived at Ben En National Park, one of the most relaxing parks in north Viet Nam, early this month to join a reforestation programme with people in Thanh Hoa's Nhu Thanh District. Detail >>

	Five holiday travel hotspots Here are five of the top holiday destinations in the north of Vietnam to visit during the upcoming six-day Reunification Day holiday filled with historical artefacts. Detail >>