Practicing responsible heritage tourism in Malaysia and China

By DR ELENA GREGORIA CHAI CHIN FERN.

Tourism generally means activities that bring people to a destination that attracts their interest such as the natural scenic view, food and culture. These ‘tourists’ mostly travel for the purpose of leisure. In heritage tourism, tourists travel to places that offer a different type of cultural experience encompassing different types of food, arts, music, festivals and historical sites. Often times, the terms ‘heritage tourism’ and ‘cultural tourism’ are used interchangeably.

Is culture and heritage the same? Culture is a part of heritage. Culture is the way of life of a group of people or a community who shares the same ancestry, migratory background, dialect or language and beliefs. On the one hand, when communicating with the ancestors or gods, symbols are used and rituals are performed. These are called cultural elements. Besides, when songs are sung accompanied by musical notes to appease the gods or spirits, these symbolic representations are also called cultural elements. On the other hand, when these cultural elements are transmitted to the following generations, these are referred to as cultural heritage or just heritage.

During the process of transmission from one generation to another, the cultural elements may change according to the community needs. Cultural elements that are static will not be able to endure through time and changes. Contrarily, heritage is a cultural element that has survived through time and changes. For instance, even though language is one important aspect of heritage that does not change extensively over the passage of time, new words are created from time to time.

Additionally, rituals that have been practised over generations are also a form of heritage. Akin to languages, new paraphernalia might be added into the ritual process. Although the sequence of the rituals might be slightly altered, the general outline of the rituals remained intact. However, ritual and language are also susceptible to threats. When the community ceases to practice the language or perform the ritual, the heritage becomes endangered.

Broadly speaking, intangible heritage is more difficult to safeguard as compared to tangible heritage. For example, traditional musical instruments are a form of tangible heritage that might not be difficult to protect and preserve through proper care. Conversely, it is more arduous to safeguard the intangible heritage of making the traditional instruments. Similarly, a 300-year-old burial pole can be conserved but not the process of making or carving the pole to denote the afterlife journey.

Developing countries like Malaysia and China are fast immersing in heritage tourism over the past two decades. Both countries are bestowed with a multiethnic population which provide heritage as resources naturally. Not only is heritage tourism a source of income generation for these countries, it also helps to create jobs and other opportunities for the community. Furthermore, heritage tourism assists in promoting awareness about the importance of heritage among the people in general, and the participating community as well as the visitors, in particular.

When a community participates in heritage tourism by performing rituals, songs, food preparation, etc. for the visitors, it would gain a sense of pride as an ethnic community. It also helps to give them a sense of identity and belongingness. This is especially important in multiethnic countries such as Malaysia and China that are witnessing their younger generations moving away physically, socially and emotionally from their roots.

Moreover, heritage tourism also echoes the Unesco’s Global Goals known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in ensuring that everyone enjoys peace and prosperity by 2030. Malaysia and China, together with the rest of the world, are striving to achieve the 17 integrated goals of the SDGs that advocate ‘development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability’. In this sense, heritage tourism must be planned and managed in a responsible manner.

Industry players, government agencies and the community must engage actively with one another. It should not be a top-down or government-centric approach nor a private industry-driven approach. The opinions of the community must be heard first. Whether the community feels assured to let visitors come into its living atmosphere to witness rituals and dances or is prepared to don ethnic costumes to greet visitors would require their prior consent. The selection of cultural elements together with any modifications to fit the tourism market must also be discussed properly.

The ‘people first’ approach must be applied in the cultural politics of space, place and people. A good example from China is the case of the Naxi heritage tourism in Lijiang. While the old town is being modernised and internationalised, the authenticity of the heritage is maintained. The government through its central, regional and local offices deals intricately with the local ethnic community when implementing these changes. Discussions with the industry players such as the travel agents, transportation companies and homestay operators are still ongoing, despite Lijiang already being well-known for heritage tourism since late 1990s. Issues such as how the ethnic community in Lijiang as a living culture should cope with these tourism activities and the appropriate ways to sustain their cultural practices are negotiated and addressed.

Heritage tourism, although being promoted by the federal and state tourism authorities in developing countries including Malaysia and China, is still not as established as it should be. Events like conferences and forums that promote the SDGs in responsible tourism are being organised from time to time. Sadly, these events lacked the participation of ‘the people’ – the ethnic community who are directly involved in heritage tourism. Their voices, dilemmas and challenges in bringing tourism into their living and cultural space are often unheard. Hence, all stakeholders involved must practise responsible heritage tourism.

To conclude, responsible tourism must come hand in hand with heritage tourism. Heritage is an intricate resource that must be dealt with cautiously. It is an asset that has been passed down from generations and should be safeguarded with a good sense of responsibility by all stakeholders. After all, heritage represents the identity and pride of the people and the country.

Dr Elena Chai is a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. She is currently seconded to the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak.

The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.

The SEARCH Scholar Series is a social responsibility programme jointly organised by the Southeast Asia Research Centre for Humanities (SEARCH) and the Centre of Business and Policy Research, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC), and co-organised by the Association of Belt and Road Malaysia.

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