Concluding Remarks Thirumaran Over the past 5 years, Dr. Thirumaran’s research focus has been on Singapore,

industry. Participation accompanied with training programs will empower the younger generation of islanders in Phu Quoc and generate direct income to help them sustain themselves in the new tourism environment. Under the watchful eyes of the authorities and the people, hotel and beach users including tourists are continuously monitored in Bali to alert sources of pollution to the beaches The Jakarta Post 2013 . Indiscriminate throw of rubbish by hotels and other businesses is often an issue for other beach users Ni 2011 ; Bali Post 2014 ; Desy 2014 . In this instance, despite best efforts by various travel organizations, hospitality businesses, governments, and NGOs, the problem remains a stubborn strain on the tourism industry. One of the key activities to preserve Balinese beaches and the nature reserve is the regular cleanup campaign where locals and NGOs par- ticipate. Phu Quoc Island being part of the Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve has also come up with a cleanup day campaign Vietnam News 2012d . Students and resi- dents wore “I Love Phu Quoc” T-shirts to clear litter in the main public areas and tourist sites. There are many different beach sides on Phu Quoc Island with different levels of exploitation. The beach area near Duong Dong Town has almost reached Bali beach pollution level – by less responsible visitors to the site. Perhaps government policy and planning needs further strengthening and support of protecting this natural resource. Sao Beach site, which is quite far away from Duong Dong town, has very few decent accommodations for tourists. Sao Beach can be a competitive destina- tion site since the beach still contains pure and clean water. However, electricity and water supply are not ready yet for the proper development in accommodation and other services.

6.6 Concluding Remarks

For now, the island of Phu Quoc is ready to accept more international visitors. From November 2014 onwards, Vietnam Airlines has started direct fl ights to Singapore and Siem Reap. These destinations are the potential market, which have seen an increasing number of tourists come to Phu Quoc year by year Dinh 2014 . Beginning early 2014, Phu Quoc International Airport received Russian tourists with direct fl ights from Moscow by few different air carriers. Russia is one of the main target markets since Russians appreciate the warm weather in Phu Quoc. As Wong Wong 1998 correctly identifi es the importance of airport links to coastal resorts that are peripheral, Phu Quoc’s increased connectivity with domestic air- ports like Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi and international airports such as Siam Reap Cambodia and Singapore makes sense for its immediate development. The peak period is between October and December when Russians travel to avoid the cold harsh weather in their homeland. A combination of visa-free immigration process, international fl ight connections, accommodations, and infrastructure have been steadily put in place and aligned to receive more tourists. In this sense, Phu Quoc in the z century is poised to be a leading holiday destination that may follow other balitrulyyahoo.com more mature destinations like Bali , Phuket, and Boracay. Phu Quoc’s development is timely. When the ASEAN Economic Community AEC comes into effect in Dec 2015, Phu Quoc would be ready to receive even larger number of tourists with its current infrastructure steadily put in place. The role of Phu Quoc in Vietnam’s overall tourism economy is important and what it needs are strategies of development and proper plans. The management and success of resort destination stands as a paradigm in what may happen to other sites along Vietnam’s long coastal regions and islands in the south. There is a perception that tourists visiting Southeast Asia are familiar with the more popular destinations of Boracay in the Philippines, Bali in Indonesia, Phuket in Thailand, and several more in the region. A perspective exists that views tourists as seeking new places for different or similar experiences Thirumaran 2009 . In this context, Phu Quoc is emerging as an added resort destination in ASEAN. While currently, Phu Quoc does not distinguish itself from the other resort destinations, the Vietnamese authority can also consider the model of Bali where sea sports facilities are available and Phuket where sea sports are increasingly made into events and competitions thus enhancing the destination’s viability further. By Based on the master plans, all indi- cations suggest, Phu Quoc heading in the direction of a MICE destination. Bali ’s sustainable tourism is a continuous project among different institutions involving local and international organizations Wall 1992 ; Bater 2000 ; Macrory 2013 . These efforts take into account ways Balinese culture remains intact with implementation of sustainable practices to protect the natural environment from the impact of tourism. While the Balinese people have a religious-social link to land and nature that creates a space for negotiating current or future developments despite the often top-down approach, Phu Quoc Island on the other hand is contain- ing its development in carefully studied plans and implementation program. One crucial question remains, if developing a resort in a region that is already fi lled with similar articulations, will Phu Quoc emerge as a competitor? Other regions in Vietnam too such as Danang appear to offer good seaside vacation as much as the continuing attractiveness of the Pacifi c Islands. Perhaps diversifi cation within the resort development context could be the way forward. We now know that the Vietnamese authorities are in full throttle of key developments essential for facilitating tourism, one of which is a passenger port World Market Intelligence News 2014 ; Asia News Monitor 2014 . In 2005, the Vietnam Investment Review revealed plans of Victoria Hotels and Resorts group to invest in resorts at the cost of US12 million in which it was also pointed out that “Developers believe the island could eventually become another Bali .” Since then many more international hospi- tality fi rms have invested in setting up hotels and restaurants and combined with airport connections, Phu Quoc’s success can be measured in terms of success on the foreign direct investments and infl ow of tourists as well as opportunities for locals to further engage in the service economy of tourism. Managing sea front resorts is not an easy or a short-term task. The project involves careful planning and timely or periodic interventions by the state to govern allocation of space, resources, and creation of activities aligned with preservation of the environment to benefi t the people living in close proximity to that destination. balitrulyyahoo.com The extent state intervention limits negative environmental impacts Bramwell 2004 is as crucial as efforts made by the private sector and signifi cation to tourists’ behaviors. In the tourism development history of a country, sometimes investments can pour in to already established destinations, while it may take years before peripheral areas receive similar attention for development Grumo and Ivona 2005 or be part of a larger marketing strategy. Hence, Hall’s 2000 “boosterism” strategy is necessary if the state were to take Phu Quoc to its ideal fi nality, an island resort destination. Wong’s 1998 study of tourism in coastal regions of Southeast Asia offers lessons of managing developments. The importance of environmental impact study, managing tourist capacity, integrating tourism development into local econo- mies and mindful of conservation of heritage and natural resources. Of these, Phuo Quoc is well placed to learn from other unplanned resorts like Pattaya and Patong Beach in Thailand as well as Kuta in Bali during the initial phases. While this chapter examines the development aspects of Phu Quoc, a few impor- tant issues have yet to be distilled. These issues relate primarily to marketing and the tourism frame in which Phu Quoc would be thrusted into the region where island vacations are abundant. Bali had promoted itself as the Island of Paradise with an emphasis on culture within Indonesia’s larger push to promote itself as a cultural destination. It is observable from the many international meetings and high number of surfboarders attracted to Bali that aside from infrastructure building, success also emanates from Indonesia-Bali marketing efforts. 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K. Thirumaran Over the past 5 years, Dr. Thirumaran’s research focus has been in Singapore,

Bali, Malaysia, and Bhutan and studies on Chinese and Indian tourists. He has contributed articles in edited books, journal, encyclopedia, and newspapers. Dr. Thirumaran is a frequent guest lecturer in special interest tourism and civic education at public schools in Singapore. His teaching style provides many opportunities beyond classroom learning for students to undertake fi eldwork and forge connections with the travel and hospitality industry. 6 Managing Development of Resort Destinations in Southeast Asia: Emerging… balitrulyyahoo.com