Cooperation Activies

ASEAN Tourism Strategy Plan (ATSP)

As ASEAN continues to mature, so is the cooperation in tourism sector. In line with the ASEAN Leaders’ vision to have an integrated ASEAN Community by 2015, the ASEAN Tourism Ministers adopted in January 2011 an ASEAN Tourism Strategy Plan (ATSP) 2011-2015 that was built on the on the accomplishments by ASEAN tourism of the 19 measures under the Roadmap for Integration. The subsequent Plan, ASEAN Tourism Strategy Plan 2016-2025, has then been adopted in January 2016 to continue focusing on regional programmes and activities to (i) enhance the competitiveness of ASEAN as a single tourism destination and (ii) ensure that ASEAN tourism is sustainable and inclusive.  

Tourism Professionals

As tourism is a human resources intensive industry that brings in investment and creates employment in ASEAN Member States, the ASEAN Tourism signed the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP) on 9 November 2012 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The MRA-TP is designed to enable the mobility of employment for skilled tourism labour within each Member State and to recognise the skills and qualifications of working tourism professionals from different ASEAN countries. Those qualified tourism professionals can apply for jobs in other ASEAN member countries, and tourism companies can search for qualified personnel from the Community to meet their staffing needs. The objectives of MRA – TP are threefold, to:

• Facilitate mobility of Tourism Professionals;
• Encourage exchange of information on best practices in competency based education and training for Tourism Professionals; and
• Provide opportunities for cooperation and capacity building across ASEAN Member States. Necessary mechanisms have been established to implement the MRA-TP, including the establishment of National Tourism Professional Board and Tourism Professionals Certification Board to administer the assessment and certification of tourism professionals at the national level; development of the necessary competency standards, curriculum, toolboxes and guidelines; and establishment of a web-based portal to facilitate the registration of tourism professionals and MRA-TP related stakeholders and serve as a matchmaking mechanism between tourism professionals and their potential employers, ASEAN Tourism Professional Registration System (www.atprs.org).

Tourism Marketing Strategy

In January 2012, ASEAN Tourism Ministers called for the development of an ASEAN Tourism Marketing Strategy to guide the directions for ASEAN in moving forward in order to remain competitive and attractive.  The ASEAN Tourism Marketing Strategy is periodically reviewed and updated to stay current of the emerging market trends globally. A dedicated ASEAN tourism website (www.visitseasia.travel) has been set up to continuously promote and inform potential travelers of the most recent activities and programmes which the region can offer. 

Tourism Standards

Standardisation of tourism services is essential in realising ASEAN to be a preferred Quality Single Destination. In this regard, the ASEAN Tourism sector has developed the following ASEAN Tourism Standards: 

1. ASEAN Clean Tourist City Standard
2. ASEAN Community-based Tourism Standard
3. ASEAN Green Hotel Standard
4. ASEAN Homestay Standard
5. ASEAN MICE Venue Standard 
6. ASEAN Public Toilet Standard
7. ASEAN Spa Services Standard

External Cooperation

As ASEAN is an outward-looking and inclusive organisation, the ASEAN tourism sector has also been actively engaging some Dialogue Partners of ASEAN, including, Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea (RoK) and the Russian Federation. Tourism cooperation with China, Japan and the RoK has been institutionalised under the ASEAN Plus Three framework, while tourism cooperation with India and the Russian Federation has been institutionalised under the ASEAN Plus One frameworks. ASEAN is also engaging with United Nations (UN) through the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) to exchange information and best practices in developing a more sustainable and inclusive tourism. In addition, the ASEAN tourism sector has also been engaging with various private sector and civil society organisations in the region to exchange information and best practices as well as to promote ASEAN as a single tourism destination.