Vietnam, ASEAN to Allow Free Movement of Tourism Experts

Tourism professionals of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries, including Vietnam, will soon be able to freely seek and undertake employment in any nations of the association. 

 

An Agreement on Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA) that would allow this was among the topics discussed at the ASEAN National Tourism Organizations Meeting in Hanoi on July 5.

 

The MRA is slated to be signed at the 2008 ASEAN Tourism Forum in Thailand.

ASEAN, founded in 1967, includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 

 

Since joining ASEAN in 1995, Vietnam's tourism industry has witnessed a boon to its coffers from the marked spike in the bloc's visitor numbers traveling to the country, to the point that the ASEAN market is Vietnam's third largest after China and Japan.

 

From 1999-2006, the number of inbound tourists from ASEAN countries tripled, from 167,300 to 573,790.

 

However, this number still did not match existing potential, and the poorly developed traffic system in the country was a major limiting factor, officials of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) added, hoping that the MRA would bring more ASEAN arrivals to Vietnam. (Young People)