TOURISM PROMOTION AND IDENTITY IN MALAYSIA

This article examines the relationship between official tourism promotion and the identity of a destination's people within the context of the plural society of Malaysia, where the government has been engaged in nation building since independence. Its vision of national identity is centered on the dominant Malays and Islam, while other groups such as the Chinese and Indians have been marginalized. However, content analysis of selected promotional material reveals the importance attached to the country's multiethnicity, which has acquired a value as a marketable commodity. The imperatives underpinning such decisions about formal tourism marketing are assessed and are shown to be the outcome of a combination of economic, social, and political processes. Tourism promotion is seen to serve many purposes, but its use as a vehicle of state propaganda may be undermined by commercial objectives with unexpected consequences as prevailing ideologies are challenged and vulnerable identities protected.