In recent years, tourism appeared as a vital sector for majority of less developed countries (LDCs) to
achieve economic development (Sinclair, 1998) because of its strategic importance. For these economies,
tourism sector is considered to be a priority based sector as a result of its positive externalities that bring
benefits for their delicate economies as these countries are facing the problem of meeting the scarcity of
resources necessary for economic development (Mazumder et al., 2009). The necessity of these resources
is critical for these economies as they are the key components for achieving economic growth while
maintaining budget surplus. The lack of these scarce resources would force these countries to depend on
few agricultural, traditional exports besides aid from external sources to expand their economic
development. The apparent benefits that tourism contributes to these economies are, therefore, the reasons
of why Southeast Asian nations’ governments are giving rigid support for the development of this sector.