ASEAN

Mutual Recognition

ASEAN Countries
The ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP)

Objectives

  1. To facilitate mobility of Tourism Professionals/ Workers
  2. To exchange information on best practices in competency-based education and training for Tourism Professionals
  3. To provide opportunities for cooperation and capacity building across ASEAN Member States
Key Stakeholder

Department of Tourism (DOT)

The DOT takes the lead as the National Tourism Organization (NTO) and represents the Philippines in the ASEAN Tourism Professional Monitoring Committee (ATPMC).

One of its responsibilities as NTO is to develop, coordinate and implement work programmes/plans to enhance cooperation in tourism. Moreover, as NTO it provides mechanism to promote participation from the private or business sector and non-government organizations.
Key Stakeholder

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)

TESDA is the lead as TPCB. The TPCB is primarily responsible in the assessment of qualifications and/or competencies of tourism professionals as specified in the ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals (ACCSTP).

Moreover, it issues certificates to tourism professionals whose qualifications and/or competencies comply with the ACCSTP; and develops, processes and maintains a registry of certified tourism professionals and job opportunities.

Lastly, the TPCB notifies the NTPB when foreign tourism professionals are no longer qualified or have violated any technical, professional or ethical standards.
Key Stakeholder

Tourism Industry Board Foundation, Inc. (Tourism Board)

The Tourism Board has been designated as the National Tourism Professional Board (NTPB).

The NTPB refers to the Board for Tourism Professionals composed of representatives from the public and private sectors including the academia and other relevant tourism stakeholders as identified by the NTO. It is responsible in creating awareness and disseminating information about the ASEAN MRA. It is, likewise, responsible to promote, update, maintain and monitor the ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals (ACCSTP) and the Common ASEAN Tourism Curriculum (CATC).

Moreover, it is responsible to facilitate the exchange of information on assessment procedures, criteria, systems, manuals and publications relating to the MRA, and the exchange of best practices in the tourism sector.

Background

The Mutual Recognition Arrangements on Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP) is one of the initiatives that is being pursued in the ASEAN.

The MRAs are arrangements between two or more parties to mutually recognise or accept some or all aspects of one another's conformity with assessment results. One of the objectives of the MRA-TP is to ease the mobility of tourism professionals within ASEAN based on a competency-based tourism qualifications / certificates.

The MRA was signed by the ASEAN Member States on January 6, 2009 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Tourism Industry Board Foundation Inc.

University of the Philippines - Asian Institute of Tourism
Commonwealth Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

secretariat@tourismindustryboard.org
tourismboardmembership@gmail.com

+63 0920 2906840
+63 919 6162586