Abstract

This case discusses the efforts of the Malaysian government in positioning Malaysia as a favored tourist destination. It talks about the successful ‘Truly Asia’ campaign launched in 1999, as well as the other promotional initiatives taken by the government, including the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 which coincided with the country’s 50th year of independence and statehood. The case also discusses the government’s efforts towards promoting alternative avenues of tourism, such as MICE activities. The case concludes with a discussion of the successes and shortcomings of Malaysia as a tourism brand and the outlook for the tourism sector of the country.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the importance of tourism as a source of revenue for a country and to examine the efforts that go into making a country a sought after tourist destination
• Analyze the factors that promote and hinder a country’s tourism potential, and to study how the country in focus rates on these parameters
• Study the creation and implementation of a successful marketing campaign that has helped a country create a unique image and distinct identity for itself in the global tourism market
• and Analyze the scope of alternative avenues of tourism, and whether governments would be justified in increasing their investments in promoting these avenues in future.

Keywords

Malaysia, Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, Tourism, Truly Asia Campaign, Visit Malaysia Year, Ecotourism, Meetings Tourism, Positioning, Southeast Asia