Competitive Advantage in Tourism of Southeast Asian Countries

The competitive advantage in tourism of the countries in Southeast Asia was assessed by using coverage ratio and revealed comparative advantage (RCA). Static and dynamic analyses were applied to the data of tourism services export during 2002-2010. The results show that Cambodia, Laos PDR, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam had competitive advantages, i.e. these countries gain the surpluses more than that of the region’s. Thailand had the highest specialization in Southeast Asia but declining. Malaysia had the highest specialization growth rate followed by Cambodia and Singapore. The tourism export of these three countries declined but at a slower rate than that of the whole region. Thailand as the regional leader in tourism should forge a stronger partnership in tourism with Southeast Asian countries. It should also enhance market promotion in the region.