The Leaders in AEC Tourism

residency and involvement in the communities will inevitably have an impact on the local residents and the community as a whole. Bali’s Grand Council of Customary Villages MUDP most recently conducted a SWOT analysis to ensure that Balinese culture remains intact when citizens of ASEAN start to settle in Bali for jobs or business opportunities Erviani 2014 . Bali, for example, has taken action by pass- ing a community law Heng 2012 . This law preserves the decisionmaking at the village level on matters such as land, properties, and religious celebrations as solely the constitutional rights of Balinese only. The Thais are also fully conscious of the potential tourism factor in the AEC . In this respect, Chiang Mai International Airport is poised to play an important regional corridor hub to Indochina, India, and China. The Thais through Bangkok Airways have already developed a strong network of modern cities such as Phuket, Udon Thani, Mandalay, and Yangon Destination Thailand 2014 . Another example of Thailand’s full preparedness is the fact that the Chiang Mai zoo refurbished its prayer rooms in anticipation of AEC channeling more Muslim travelers to Thailand NNT 2014a , b . Cebu Pacifi c on the other hand is expected to receive 43 aircrafts adding to its existing 50 aircraft fl eet between 2014 and 2021. That will allow it to compete in an AEC open skies policy with the more established and highly part- nered and networked Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia that has over 120 aircrafts Rivera 2014 . This prepositioning within the industry suggests a real interest in maintaining a degree of national as well as industry competitiveness. While it has to be competitive between the major players, the regional framework should also examine ways where cooperation can benefi t to promote the AEC as a key destination.

1.5 The Leaders in AEC Tourism

There are a number of geopolitical factors that can be taken as a competitive edge by the ASEAN members. The regional grouping’s informal ways of cooperation and consensus seeking on major issues have thus far helped the members to create a sense of confi dence and trust rather than just building a relationship with legalistic structures and styles Wicakesena 2011 . The ASEAN members have faced pres- sures from various external developments for the increased levels of economic inte- gration so that the member nations can compete in the global markets and investments. Tourism is one of the very few industries in the world that has the greatest mul- tiplier effects. The industry consumes a wide range of local goods and services which becomes a reason for the wide distribution of income Chia 2014 . The indus- try also enjoys a very high number of positive spillovers. According to the surveys of the World Trade Organization WTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council WTTC, for every job created in the tourism industry, there are more than fi ve jobs created as a result of that fi rst job. It is not just the economic benefi ts that can be achieved but a strong tourism industry can act as a mechanism for social change. It can be a reason for the incorporation of new and innovative ideas and values. balitrulyyahoo.com In the lead to a regional economic community, Thailand and the Philippines appear to be in the forefront of taking the region to the next level Destination Thailand News 2014 . Thailand, for example, is the only country that has started the AEC tourism Thailand website, http:en.aectourismthai.com , long before other member states, suggesting its leadership role in the AEC tourism Destination Thailand News 2014 . The website promotes the region and explains the AEC. The website highlights news about AEC activities and progress, exchange rates, destina- tion videos, and informative links. Under the ASEAN Dream Destinations, the Thais have taken the lead to conduct a competition of pictures and videos with a hashtag. Additionally, on September 2014, Thailand inaugurated a human resources development institution primarily for the spa and massage industry to bring up-to- date international standards for Thai massage and spa therapists NNT 2014a , b . With this institution, Thailand hopes to maintain its lead in the spa tourism while at the same time providing young therapists opportunities of employment or entrepre- neurship in other ASEAN member states Destination Thailand News 2014 . In most places in Thai cities including at the very micro level, one could see some forms of AEC regional integration promotion. One such example is a motorized taxi, tuk-tuk, with a banner sticker on the back of the driver’s seat that reads: “Welcome to ASEAN 2015.” Thailand is also aware of its people’s spoken English level and has targeted schools to raise the quality of spoken English and emphasized the importance of knowledge about ASEAN City News 2013 which does not seem like a key endeavor in many other member states Destination Thailand News 2014 . In almost all the hospitality businesses in Singapore and in some instances in Malaysia and Thailand, one will see a Filipino staff. This might be because of the English profi ciency in the Philippines compared to other Asian cities. The Filipino accent is relaxed and neutral Erviani 2014 . The fact the Filipinos have good speak- ing and social skills makes them competitive for jobs in the industry. Many young Filipinos can learn a foreign language fast, e.g., Mandarin, which is widely spoken in Singapore and other Asian cities such as Macau and Hong Kong Heng 2012 . Being bilingual or multilingual gives these young Filipinos an edge to work in the hospitality and gaming industry where both English and Mandarin are popularly used. Some young Filipinos might prefer to stay and work in Manila due to these developments; however, some others might travel and move out of the country due to the still strong Singapore dollar, for instance, as compared to the Philippine peso.

1.6 Conclusion