Phnom Penh: H.E. HUOT Hak, Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the National Committee for Tourism Professionals, presided over the closing ceremony of the “Workshop on the Dissemination of Tourism Professional Skills, accompanied by the Certificate Award Ceremony for Trainees of the 2026 National Master Trainer and National Master Assessor Training Programme for Hotel Services in accordance with ASEAN Standards (ASEAN MRA-TP).”
On this occasion, H.E. the Minister congratulated and highly commended the 145 successful trainees, including 66 women, who successfully completed the seven-day training programme and became National Master Trainers and National Master Assessors in accordance with ASEAN standards. They are expected to further share their knowledge, provide training, and strengthen the capacities of students and staff within their respective institutions and organizations.
H.E. the Minister emphasized that human capital development in the tourism sector is a key priority, in line with the Royal Government of Cambodia’s Pentagonal Strategy–Phase I, which places “People” as its first priority. This aims to build and develop a skilled and competitive workforce in support of the goal of “One Citizen, at Least One Lifelong Skill” and the approach of “Learn to Know, Learn to Complete, and Learn to Get a Job.”
In this regard, the Ministry of Tourism continues to place strong emphasis on enhancing qualifications, competencies, professional skills, ethics, and productivity through reskilling and upskilling, with the aim of ensuring high-quality tourism and hospitality services and providing warm hospitality to both national and international tourists.
To date, the Ministry of Tourism has sent 30 technical officials to participate in ASEAN Master Trainer and ASEAN Master Assessor training programmes. These officials have subsequently trained more than 816 National Master Trainers and National Master Assessors. In addition, the Ministry has accredited a total of nine tourism vocational training institutions, four of which are qualified to provide full ASEAN-standard qualification programmes.
It should be noted that Cambodia has been recognized as one of the leading ASEAN Member States in implementing the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (ASEAN MRA-TP). Cambodia has also received support from ASEAN Member States to undertake important responsibilities, including the development of guidelines on the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assessment mechanism for ASEAN tourism professionals, as well as the development of ASEAN competency standards and common curricula for spa professionals.
Furthermore, H.E. the Minister highlighted that Cambodia has conducted competency assessments for approximately 2,200 tourism professionals through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) mechanism and has assessed and accredited four competency assessment centres, namely: (1) Paul Dubrule Assessment Centre in Siem Reap Province; (2) PSE Assessment Centre in Phnom Penh; (3) VIT Assessment Centre in Phnom Penh; and (4) Thalias Assessment Centre in Phnom Penh.
H.E. the Minister also provided recommendations to National Master Trainers and National Master Assessors to continue cooperating closely with the Ministry of Tourism in promoting in-house training at tourism businesses. He also encouraged training institutions to further strengthen the capacities of their trainers in order to develop tourism professionals with higher levels of competency in accordance with the National and ASEAN Qualifications Frameworks.
At the same time, H.E. the Minister instructed relevant stakeholders to further promote Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assessments for those currently employed in the tourism sector; explore the possibility of expanding National Master Trainer and National Master Assessor training to cover travel services beginning in 2027; and continue developing the Cambodia Tourism Professionals Registration System (CTPRS) to facilitate self-learning, training management, and job matching.
In conclusion, H.E. the Minister called upon all tourism professionals to embrace the spirit of “lifelong learning”, while upholding professional ethics and integrity, in order to jointly deliver excellent hospitality services to tourists and contribute to enhancing the quality and competitiveness of Cambodia’s tourism industry in a sustainable manner.
It should also be highlighted that on 24 August 2026, the Royal Government of Cambodia issued a decision appointing the members of the National Committee for Tourism Professionals, chaired by H.E. HUOT Hak, Minister of Tourism, with a total of 13 vice-chairpersons and members representing relevant ministries and institutions, tourism vocational training institutions, and tourism industry associations.
Ministry of Tourism, Phnom Penh
1 September 2026
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