ASEAN delegates marking the launch of ATPRS onstage
STATE NTOs jointly launched the ASEAN Tourism Professional Registration System (ATPRS) at an event held in Jakarta yesterday.
The event is part of a two-day conference held from August 8 to 9 to herald the launch of the platform and for stakeholders of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP) initiative, which resulted in the ATPRS, to get better acquainted with the programme.
The ATPRS, which is still work in progress, is a web-based platform to facilitate the registration of tourism professionals and industry stakeholders in order to match individuals seeking jobs in travel with potential employers.
South-east Asian states first agreed upon the formation of the ATPRS as part of the MRA-TP, designed to facilitate the free movement and employment of qualified and certified tourism professionals among ASEAN countries.
Indonesia’s minister of tourism Arief Yahya said that while there are greater opportunities ahead for tourism in South-east Asia, “competitiveness and the availability of qualified human resources” is a growing challenge.
He added that the establishment of MRA-TP does not only fulfill the promise of ASEAN leaders to formulate non-restrictive arrangements stipulated within the ASEAN Tourism Agreement signed in 2002, but also supported the enhancement of tourism by improving service standards within the region.
“By implementing the initiative, I would expect that tourism not only bring a more holistic improvement to people’s life in South-east Asia, but also achieve a people-centered, people-oriented ASEAN,” he said.
