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
Earlier we viewed AEC 2015 as a drive towards harnessing the resources of over 600 million people for the purpose of creating a common market within the context
of the rise of India and China. The most important element lacking in the blueprint thus far is creating a belief in ASEAN Economic Community as a social unit of
brotherhood bringing people together at noneconomic levels of viewing the
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community of member states as a group of family and seeing each other as part of a common destiny. In this way, when moving towards the military and sociocultural
community in 2020, there would be foundations laid for greater citizenry participa- tion, cohesiveness, and enhanced respectful cooperation. More can be done in AEC
other than the already envisaged infrastructure connectivity and visa-free travel for individuals from member states as well as a common visa program for noncitizens
of ASEAN. Three areas that can possibly be improved upon as a community of nations are in the area of aviation travel ticketing, industry exchanges, and attrac-
tions. There needs to be a creation of common institutions and laws that can ensure the enforcement of the agreements and contracts among the member states.
Establishment of such institutions has been acknowledged as a goal and mechanism for regional integration.
Indeed, ASEAN members would face challenges with the setup of AEC ; how- ever, this cannot overrule the advantages or the competitive edges that the ASEAN
member nations enjoy. The member states are strategically located in the geographi- cal region of Asia that is dynamic; the region is facing sound macroeconomic fun-
damentals and is going through an economic growth phase Heng 2012
. The productive capabilities of these Southeast Asia n states are also very high and are
considered a hub to foreign direct investments. Additionally, ASEAN member states possess high historical and cultural backgrounds, and this is a very strong
point that can be optimized by the travel community of member nations.
At the aviation trade level, ASEAN could come up with programs for both domestic and international travelers for a special ticket that would entitle them to all
ten countries in their respective carriers or just simply in a selected national carrier of ASEAN. This suggested scheme is similar to an around the world ticket offered
by many airlines internationally. Another project ASEAN can adopt is the institu- tional exchanges for training and education in tourism, a trainee or internship pro-
gram that cuts through the red tape of individual state requirements.
Non-archetype tours are available elsewhere. Instead of focusing on a single theme such as resort vacations like much of the Caribbean, Southeast Asia has more
to offer as depicted in multi-theme promotions. However, more needs to be done in terms of industry partnerships, entrepreneurs fi nding opportunities in these discon-
nected themes, travel agents, tour operators, and national and regional frameworks. One example is ATRA, a newly formed organization, which aims to promote
regional university-level cooperation in research and consultancy works in ASEAN. This alliance formation of ten universities includes universities both inter-
nal and external to the region such as Taylor’s University
Malaysia , Royal
University of Phnom Penh Cambodia, Bandung Institute of Tourism Indonesia, Laos National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Laos, Lyceum of the Philippines
and University of the Philippines Philippines, Prince Songkla Thailand, and Hoa Sen University Vietnam. Leveraging the intellectual circles of the tourism industry
would further produce higher levels of practical solutions to the industry and community.
While most ordinary citizens may not understand or be aware of AEC 2015, it is telling how the governments have carefully orchestrated this move to integrate
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member states economically, later socially, and militarily. A survey conducted in Indonesia suggested that 80 did not know about the AEC though more impor-
tantly upon receiving an explanation, they agreed with the idea of integration. The lack of knowledge among the locals of the AEC 2015 could be due to the
government’s failure to socialize and explain the concept of the AEC to the public. The idea of the AEC might be elitist and state centric and designed without involv-
ing public participation. The public might also see little relevance between the potential benefi ts that the AEC could provide in their day-to-day lives. Therefore,
for aspiring ASEAN citizens, there are possible employment opportunities with those holding qualifi ed and certifi ed skills in other member states as well as niches
in tourism in the more growing economies of Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.
In the age of global economic alliances, it has become a necessity for smaller countries to unite with other regional trading partners to form a larger consortium.
Through the Community Progress Monitoring System, the ASEAN Secretariat is set to monitor the progress of the AEC and the implementation of the project of
various projects. However, in order to achieve success, national sacrifi ces and short- term structural changes are often required. According to Max Weber
1994 , the
rules and regulations of bureaucracy entrap individuals in an “iron cage” limiting movement and aspirations. The standardization of credentials and services in a con-
solidated ASEAN tourism
industry also refl ects the bureaucratic process of McDonaldization identifi ed by Ritzer
2008 . In order to achieve the aspirations of
young people of the ten member group of ASEAN, free movement of people and labor in the AEC must be real and substantial. Then only the AEC at the grassroots
level will share the same fervor as the elites and political leadership in the eventual formation of a security and sociocultural community in 2020.
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K. Thirumaran Over the past 5 years, Dr. Thirumaran’s research focus has been on Singapore,
Bali, Malaysia, Bhutan and studies on Chinese and Indian tourists. He has contributed articles in edited books, journal, encyclopedia, and newspapers. Dr. Thirumaran is a frequent guest lecturer
in special interest tourism and civic education at public schools in Singapore. His teaching style provides many opportunities beyond classroom learning for students to undertake fi eldwork and
forge connections with the travel and hospitality industry.
Pamela Arumynathan With over 18 years of experience in the fi eld of education, exposed to the
nuances and subtleties of the process of language acquisition and teaching to a variety of interna- tional students, Ms Arumynathan has come not only to enjoy her profession as an educator but also
to execute it with the highest level of professionalism and passion. She believes in giving students ownership of their learning. Ms Arumynathan is also responsible for formulating language
acquisition training materials and conducting workshops and classes for hospitals and various associations.
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