When our Truly Asia brand is a hit, let’s not rave about others

I had an eye-opening couple of days going around Kuala Lumpur city centre as just a retiree taking in the warm hazy mornings, and looking at things with a fresh set of eyes.

What used to be a blurred cacophony of sight and sound now appears fresh, alive and frankly, cool. I blurted out Wows as I gawked at the high-rises and the parks and the fancy malls around them.

All those gushing YouTube videos made by foreigners about KL aren’t exaggerating. The city, and by extension the rest of Malaysia, is a rare and refreshing gem.

KL is greener than Bangkok, cleaner than Manila, less suffocating than Jakarta and more down-to-earth than the uber-efficient Singapore. It’s a very affordable food haven (and heaven), though that’s changing, and not for the better.

Malaysia is doing well with tourism. We are, as the song says, Truly Asia; diverse, friendly and still largely undiscovered by the world at large. Tourist arrivals are steadily climbing but we haven’t reached anywhere near our full potential.

Kudos to the people in the tourism sector, from the tourism minister to tourism players right down to the rakyat who – so far anyway – happily share their country with the rest of the world.

We have also benefitted from far-away geopolitical events as well as the wise investments we made years ago. KLIA has a huge capacity because it was a clean-sheet design, and it can still grow. Our roads, hotels, shopping and tourist attractions are mostly very good, with some being world-class.

The currency exchange rate helps too. The ringgit has long been relatively undervalued to promote our export-based economy, and that’s been a boost for tourism.

And then there are all the crazy Malaysians, gleefully and vigorously gatekeeping their country by telling all and sundry we are living in jungles and fight for survival against wild animals daily.

Apparently centuries of colonisation have given us a rather low self-esteem. Being always unfavourably compared to Singaporeans had left some scars too. While we are prouder and more confident now, this legacy coupled with the traditionally modest nature of us Malaysians Truly Asians won’t allow us to crow and brag.

If I sound like a paid booster of Malaysian tourism, you’re half right – I’m doing this “on the house” because it’s my house too. But I’m not the proverbial frog under the coconut shell – myopic, jingoistic and ignorant of the big world out there. I have lived and worked abroad and since retirement, I put two to three months every year travelling overseas.

Putting a damper on the rain

But a recent tourism event is worth reflecting on. During Labour Day holiday in May there were a number of events under the Rain Rave Water Music Festival 2026 theme. These events created some controversy, pitting those who felt they were a great tourism draw against those who felt they were against our culture.

I’m sure the events must have brought in a significant amount of tourist dollars. But let’s not kid ourselves over what they were – an attempt to replicate Thailand’s well-known Songkran water festivals including their culture of hosting raves in tourist hot spots.

I don’t think that was a good idea, and we certainly must debate its future. They need not necessarily be banned, but they certainly have no place right in the middle of our capital during one of the busiest holidays in the year.

Why? Well, consider this. If we think our culture is so unique and worth selling as our main tourism draw, why are we co-opting another country’s culture? Why are we competing with the Thais on who holds the most raucous festivals and raves? Let them keep that title.

The key reason Malaysian tourism is doing well is because we’re presenting a fresh, wholesome face to the many visitors who increasingly feel out-of-place in the usual South-East Asian tourist hangouts like Bali and Phuket and Cebu. We offer a more wholesome, safe and still spectacular destination filled with unique people and cultures and culinary delights.

That’s been our brand for decades. More importantly, that’s a pretty accurate description of who we are. We should feel confident and happy in our own skin and not try to be whatever some segments of tourists want regardless of the cost to our identity.

Living up to the brand

I came across a foreigner commenting on social media that Malaysians are – horror of horrors – not as friendly as our regional neighbours. But my hackles quickly came down when another foreigner came to our defence.

He said while tourism is important to Malaysia, it isn’t as critical as it is to some of our neighbours. We Malaysians generally have a good life and don’t need to be obsequious or duplicitous or pander to the tourist dollar. We’re quite happy with our strong and diverse economy.

That nailed it. We’re not enslaved to tourism and to tourists. We’re happy to accommodate them at a fair economic exchange. We’re already naturally friendly and tolerant – living in a diverse society for centuries has taught us that.

So, keep tourism under control and on our own terms. Choose what we want to share, and what we won’t compromise just to be popular. Be hospitable and welcoming, but stay true to our culture and nature. Stay true to our brand.

I enjoyed my walks along my old haunts. It wasn’t too crowded or filled with foreigners, or locals peddling trinkets for them. I like being able to share my country with others, and yet not feel crowded out because of over-tourism.

I’m happy we’re doing well enough we don’t have to sell our souls to earn some extra dollars. I’m happy we’re good at other economic activities too, with tourism just one of them, and not even the most important one at that.

Long may we keep our unique Malaysian brand.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.

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