The studies of Rogerson (2004) and Chang (1998) mentioned that the greater expansion and economic
impact of tourism rely on how countries within the region cooperate and support each other rather than
competing. Regional development through tourism will be obvious and occur where regional countries are
prepared to collaborate, cooperate and support as partners. The proposition is that developing countries
compete with each other in terms of attaining competitive advantage on the trade and development of
traditional commodities; which is found to be absent in the case of tourism. This prediction contradicts
with tourism because the current trends of tourism since tourism products and attributes are unique in
nature among countries of the world. Therefore, there is a scope for the countries to extend their
cooperation when seeking development4
through tourism. Considering the significance of Southeast Asian
regional tourism development, it is imperative to formulate a distinctive regional tourism policy; strategic
development scenarios have been taken into consideration when formulating policies to overcome delicate
areas on a priority basis.