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

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

Deputy at the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry of Malaysia, Diah MartiniMohamad 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 intourism and mobilize manpower exchange among regional countries.

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

To this end, collaboration between pentahelix stakeholders is important. Theremust be a regulatory alignment within the education, vocation, and trainingworlds, 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 EconomyMinister Sandiaga Uno, Paham said she believes that Indonesian tourism humanresources 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 ASEANTourism Professional Monitoring Committee Meeting (ATPMC) in Cambodia onDecember 6–8, she added./.