Give tourists the real Malaysia

The letter to the editor today, “Know visitors' wants” gave quite a few good suggestions on how to gain more mileage from the tourists that visit our country. I am particularly intrigued by the idea that there should be a tourist centre that houses all the local produce that a town or village has as well as the culture and traditions of that area in one place. He goes on to write that anything produced elsewhere, particularly from overseas, should not be allowed in such local tourist centres. 

This is one of the basic musts of a local tourist spot. Tourists visit a country to experience the local atmosphere and gain something different from what they have at home. The visitor would be wondering whether he had ever left his homeland if and when he finds similar handicraft as what he has in his country. Those objects should not be touted as Malaysian unless they had morphed into local variations.

Our geographical location made us the melting pot of the region and at the crossroads of many influences. We have to acknowledge that many of the traditions and cultures in this country came from somewhere else but has been tweaked through many generations and taken a decidedly local colour. It cannot be helped that the fluid movements among the peoples of this region has contributed to our rich heritage.

That is one aspect of our history that we should highlight and promote. We do not have to import handicraft from other countries and say it is made in Malaysia as any knowledgeable person would realise the real origins of a particular object. There are many local handicraft and traditions that we can proudly say is ours but the marketing has been poor at this point of time.

A classic example is the stalls at the Central Market in Kuala Lumpur. How many of them sell home grown Malaysian arts and crafts? As far as we can see, the moment we enter the main entrance facing the car park, we will be greeted by carpets from India and Pakistan as well as arts and crafts from the Asean region. We will be able to see pewter or silverware at some stalls but it is not displayed prominently.

A different strategy is long overdue in terms of marketing Malaysia. The strategy of building an Arab Square to attract tourists from the Middle East is another example of a poorly planned strategy. That square is now hidden behind the many garish stalls around the area and I doubt the Middle Eastern tourists want to congregate at the square when they come here.

Bring back the real Malaysia for the world to see so that when the tourists return to their countries they will remember a unique country, different from their own.

Image from tourist-attractions-in-malaysia