Heritage tourism in Malaysia

You might have heard a lot about niche tourism and how Kerala, the southern state of India, altered its tourism packages according to the principles of niche tourism to lure more visitors. kerala ayurveda tourism, wildlife tourism, heritage tourism etc were some of its highlights, eyeing an influx of niche tourists.

Another place which is renowned for its experiments with niche tourism is Malaysia, an Asian country. Malaysia bagged ninth place in the World Tourism Rankings, thanks to its efforts in promoting niche tourism. Malaysian tourist authorities tried to project `heritage tourism’ and it helped attain more attention from tourists.

Cultural vivacity is a characteristic of Malaysia, as is home for various Asian ethnic groups. Each group’s culture, art and festivals contribute to the country’s cultural wealth. The country also houses many heritage buildings which reveal the Islamic, Chinese or Western influences and many of them are a must-see for the heritage tourists.

The Government of Malaysia has enforced various laws in order to protect the heritage sites and buildings of the country. The museum, art galleries, film development department, handicrafts development division and various other wings of the government worked hand-in-hand to prevent destruction of the cultural and heritage elements of the country. The government’s efforts in highlighting Penang and Malacca as heritage tourism centres also brought in great results.