ASEAN Flags Forming Hotel Facade

Unlock Global Careers: How ASEAN's MRA is Shaping Tourism Jobs

Beau Callahan in Business & Economy June 2025 • 4 min read.

"Is your hospitality career ready for the world stage? Discover how the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) is revolutionizing tourism jobs and what it means for your future."

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has witnessed a surge in tourism, creating a high demand for skilled labor. The hotel industry, a cornerstone of the tourism sector, plays a vital role in national employment across ASEAN countries. Standardizing these competencies is a key goal.

The ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in Tourism aims to streamline the recognition of skills and qualifications for tourism professionals across member states. Signed by ASEAN leaders, the MRA seeks to upgrade tourism education curricula and skills through mutually accepted competency standards and certification procedures.

However, the adoption of MRA faces hurdles. While programs and activities are ongoing to raise awareness and promote the benefits of MRA, challenges persist, particularly in Indonesia. This article delves into the strategic adoption of MRA, focusing on its impact, obstacles, and potential solutions for Jakarta's five-star hotels.

Decoding the ASEAN MRA: Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies for Jakarta's Hotels

The ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) strives to create a seamless integration of tourism and travel services by facilitating the mobility of tourism professionals. By establishing consistent competency standards, MRA aims to narrow development gaps among ASEAN Member States and foster regional stability. Today, the adoption of MRA is ongoing, with continuous efforts by the Indonesian government to engage employers and workers in the tourism industry.

Despite these efforts, the adoption process in Indonesia has been slow, particularly in Jakarta's five-star hotels. This sluggish adoption raises concerns about the awareness, understanding, and perceived benefits of MRA among industry stakeholders. To address these challenges, it's crucial to:

Measure the current perception of Jakarta's five-star hotels towards MRA.
Determine the steps taken by both government and hotel establishments in adopting MRA, including potential benefits.
Identify obstacles faced by the Indonesian government and hotel establishments.
Create awareness and understanding of MRA among industry stakeholders by communicating its goals, benefits, and requirements through various channels.

A study was conducted focusing on employees from the Human Resources Departments of 13 five-star hotels in Jakarta. The findings revealed a negative perception towards the implementation of MRA among these hotels. According to the T-test analysis, Jakarta's five-star hotels have a negative perception towards the implementation of MRA.

Charting the Future: Recommendations for Successful MRA Implementation

The adoption of the Mutual Recognition Agreement holds immense potential for the Indonesian tourism industry. Overcoming obstacles such as lack of public knowledge, limited resources, and resistance from hotel management is crucial. It's imperative to familiarize ACCSTP as an essential step to facilitate wider use for employment of tourism and hospitality sector. By monitoring the adoption progress of competency standards regularly and involving third-party certifications, Jakarta's hotels can unlock the positive impacts of MRA, avoid penalties, and enhance their enterprise standards.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.2139/ssrn.1971463, Alternate LINK

Title: Analysis Of The Adoption Of Asean Mra On Tourism Professional At Jakarta Five Star Hotel Towards The Human Resources Global Competitiveness

Journal: SSRN Electronic Journal

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Authors: Nila Krisnawati Hidayat

Published: 2011-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

What is the primary goal of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in the context of tourism?

The ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in Tourism aims to standardize the recognition of skills and qualifications for tourism professionals across ASEAN member states. It seeks to upgrade tourism education curricula and skills by establishing mutually accepted competency standards and certification procedures, facilitating the seamless integration of tourism and travel services and fostering regional stability.

What are some of the main challenges hindering the adoption of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in Jakarta's five-star hotels?

The adoption of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in Jakarta's five-star hotels faces challenges such as a negative perception towards its implementation, as revealed by a study focusing on Human Resources Departments. Obstacles include lack of public knowledge, limited resources, and resistance from hotel management. Addressing these issues requires creating awareness, understanding the benefits, and monitoring the adoption progress of competency standards.

How can ACCSTP facilitate the wider use of ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in the tourism and hospitality sector?

To facilitate wider use of ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) for employment in the tourism and hospitality sector, it's essential to familiarize ACCSTP (ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals). Regular monitoring of competency standards adoption and involving third-party certifications can help Jakarta's hotels unlock the positive impacts of MRA, avoid penalties, and enhance their enterprise standards. ACCSTP provides a standardized framework which supports the wider adoption of MRA by clarifying expectations. This clarification helps to address concerns related to skills recognition and workforce mobility across the ASEAN region. By aligning training and certification programs with ACCSTP hotels can more effectively leverage the benefits of MRA improving both the quality and efficiency of their operations.

How does the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) benefit both tourism professionals and the broader tourism sector?

The ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) benefits tourism professionals by facilitating their mobility across ASEAN member states through the recognition of standardized skills and qualifications. For the tourism sector in general, MRA enhances competitiveness, upgrades education curricula, and fosters regional stability by narrowing development gaps among member states. The standardization promoted by MRA also indirectly reduces barriers to entry for smaller tourism-related businesses by establishing a clearer more uniform regulatory landscape. This can lead to a more dynamic and inclusive tourism ecosystem across the region.

How does the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) influence the landscape of tourism jobs within the ASEAN region?

The ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) plays a crucial role in shaping tourism jobs by standardizing skills and qualifications for tourism professionals across member states. This standardization enables tourism professionals to move more freely between ASEAN countries, enhancing their career opportunities and contributing to a more integrated and competitive regional tourism sector. This enhanced integration may promote new forms of collaborative tourism ventures within the ASEAN region, offering innovative career paths focused on cross-border coordination and management.