LOCAL CULINARY HERITAGE AND TOURISM MARKETING STRATEGY TO PROMOTE MALAYSIA AS TOURIST DESTINATION

Mohd Hairi Jalis, Siti Nor Fadillah Ahmad Shariff, Malisa Sahila Abdul Manap, Massyittah Omar, Jefry Elias

Abstract


Local culinary heritage is frequently seen as the foundation of destination/place marketing strategies to forge strong local economies and foster a sense of destination/place. This research examines the culinary heritage themes of multi-ethnic countries, with a particular emphasis on Malaysia, to promote the country and stimulate economic development and the local tourism industry. Malaysian culinary is commonly characterized as a fusion of local cuisines with a significant integration of Chinese, Indian, and Indonesian cuisine. Nevertheless, the cuisine of Malaysian ethnics encompasses genuine elements that set them apart from others, including various types of particular local food (such as rice and meat specialities) and how food is consumed and presented. This investigation employed a thorough examination of academic literature that was triangulated with secondary data. The findings suggested that Malaysia's culinary heritage and identity are frequently promoted by emphasizing local flavours. Perhaps, future research could delve deeper into marketing strategies within multi-ethnic, place/destination and culinary heritage tourism industries. To gain a deeper understanding of the role and importance of place culinary heritage in tourism, it is necessary to conduct qualitative research among the ethnic communities as well as taking into account tourists’ expectations and experiences of local culinary heritage.

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30813/glost.v0i0.6138