Vietnam should accelerate the implementation of the national tourismoccupational skills standards (VTOS) in order to increase the tourismsector’s competitiveness on the eve of the formation of the ASEANEconomic Community, delegates said at a conference in Hanoi on December3.

Ambassador Franz Jessen, head of the EuropeanUnion delegation in Vietnam, said that the VTOS, built with theassistance from the EU, Vietnamese tourism training establishments wouldbe equipped better to train a young work force, meeting the increasingdemand in Vietnam’s growing tourism sector.

At theconference, experts in the industry highlighted the importance as wellas benefits of the VTOS. Built in 2007 and revised in July this year,the set of standards will help Vietnam get ready for implementing theASEAN’s Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals(MRA-TP).

The MRA-TP will facilitate themobility of tourism professionals in ASEAN, thus contributing to thedevelopment of the tourism industry of the ASEAN Community in generaland Vietnam’s tourism in particular, head of Vietnam NationalAdministration of Tourism (VNAT), Nguyen Van Tuan, said.

The conference is the first of its kind discussing the implementationof the VTOS in line with the MRA-TP. It was co-organised by theEU-sponsored ‘Programme for Developing Tourism Capacity Associated withEnvironmental and Social Responsibilities’ Project and Euro ChamVietnam.

A similar event will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 5.-VNA