In the past tourism, has not been seen as a viable industry in Brunei. It was not mentioned in the progressive five years National Development Plan (NDP) up until the Seventh NDP (1996 - 2000) that tourism was specifically mentioned as an industry for economic diversification. This has lead to a turning point by which tourism finally received official endorsement and support from the government. This was also in preparation for the 2001 national event of the first ever Visit Brunei Year 2001.
Currently, Brunei tourism falls under the responsibility of Tourism Development Department (TDD), Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR). The department has undergone transformation over the years from being a Tourism Section under the Brunei Economic Development Board of the Ministry of Finance in 1982 until it was transferred to MIPR in 1995. It was here that tourism flourished with the production of two Tourism Master Plan, first was in 1998 and the second was in 2011. The latter covers a period from 2012 -2017 and it is where this paper will attempt to contemplate on