6. Managing Development of Resort Destinations in Southeast Asia: Emerging and Peripheral Phu Quoc Island

Southeast Asia located in the tropics offers a variety of sea resort destinations. With the recent economic reforms in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar for greater integration into the world economy, tourism has been a key sector of attention with many potential sea resorts to be developed in these countries’ coastal regions. In this regard, Bali and Phuket among others offer important development lessons within the region for Vietnam’s rising and popular resort – Phu Quoc Island. This chapter takes a leaf from Bali’s tourism experience as a development strategy that can be learned and considered for Phu Quoc Island’s growth. Though these destinations are in different stages of development, such comparative learning provides a new perspective on managing peripheral resorts. Utilizing peripheral areas in tourism development theories as a basis to understand Balinese experience, a framework of key factors such as foreign investments and good environmental practices will be examined. Balinese tourism successes and challenges are analyzed to discern ways in which Phu Quoc Island’s development can be managed in the twenty-first century as one of several emerging resort destinations in Southeast Asia.