The overall project will contribute to efforts to strengthen a priority integration sector within the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint, by supporting efforts to build the skills of workers in the tourism industry.

"Our objective, through this workshop, is to develop a resource pack (or toolbox to equip ASEAN trainers) that can be utilised by any trainer or educator so they can deliver training effectively and assess appropriately, either in the operating industry or in an education institution," said Wayne Crosbie, the Project Director at William Angliss Institute Australia, facilitators at yesterday's workshop.

William Angliss Institute is recognised internationally for providing high quality education, training and consultancy to the hospitality, tourism and foods industries.

The Institute has been contracted through ASEAN to develop Common ASEAN Tourism Curriculum (CATC) and Qualifications Frameworks as well as a skills recognition system to facilitate mobility of tourism professionals throughout Asean countries.

Crosbie said that the national workshop, which reviews toolboxes for priority tourism labour division, encompasses ASEAN's goal to develop the human resource capability in the region that would develop and increase tourism opportunity for all ASEAN member countries.

"The whole objective of ASEAN in developing tourism is to improve human resource capability, so that the people in the industry are able to offer better standards of service," he said.

This, he said, is in line with the regional bloc's commitment to working towards the achievement of the goal of regional integration through the establishment of the AEC by 2015.

"Therefore the region can have more satisfied customers who will be either coming back to experience the good service that the region offers, or they will be recommending others to try that experience," he added.

He said that ASEAN's tourism action plan would also ensure consistency at quality of products and services across all ASEAN member countries over time, narrowing the gap between developed and developing countries within the region.

"It's about promoting the region, so people will take a regional perspective. So instead of just going to one destination, maybe they'll go to two or three or four destinations within the region," said Crosbie.

"So if we look at the island of Borneo as a whole, when tourists come to East Malaysia and go to Sabah and Sarawak, maybe they will come to Kalimantan and maybe they will come to Brunei. And if they go to two or three or four, they're going to get a consistency of service and product within those countries," he added.