Regional Integration: Finding Vietnam in ASEAN’s Single Tourism Destination

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2022The current ASEAN tourism cooperation is implemented under a policy framework set out by the 2002 ASEAN Tourism Agreement of which Objective 5 positions the entire region as a “single tourism destination”. A review of ASEAN’s official documents reveals that branding ASEAN as a single tourist destination is meant to promote multi-faceted attractions and world-class standards and facilities in ASEAN. Objective 5 is deemed ambitious, yet problematic. Relying on primary and secondary materials in both English and Vietnamese, this thesis pays careful attention to the implementation of objective 5, aiming to answer a research question “What are the implications of ASEAN’s single tourism destination strategy for the course of regional integration and member states’ agendas, specifically those of Vietnam?”