Governance approaches in new tourist destination countries: Introducing tourism law in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam

Abstract

This chapter focuses on what may be termed 'new tourist destination countries': Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, part of the Greater Mekong Subregion, and discusses the numerous challenges these countries face in their governance as emerging tourist destinations. This chapter explains that these challenges are primarily the result of exceedingly high levels of tourist visitation to a few specific attractive destinations within each country and the corresponding intense pressures of revenue and development infrastructure growth. These pressures are exacerbated by control issues and variability of government structures in the provision and capability of addressing these dynamic challenges. Since these countries have become more open to development and visitation and have moved further toward a free market economy, increasingly strong governance frameworks have been required to address the numerous challenges brought about by this increase in tourism. The chapter explores the high level of diversity in the methods in which these emerging economies address tourist destination governance, including a discussion of control, degree of accepted input, flexibility and the role of the private sector in decision making and policy making. This chapter also acknowledges the importance of further efforts being placed on responsibilities, frameworks, planning and monitoring, as well as further understanding the complex and unique pressures that tourism places on regional areas that are in various stages of development. Finally, the chapter explores the question of broader integration beyond borders in addressing effectively the challenges that tourist destination development create within the context of tourism governance.