Archaeotourism and its Attractiveness in the Context of Heritage Tourism in Malaysia

This article discusses the growth of archaeotourism in Malaysia. Archaeotourism is part of heritage tourism which is one of the growing tourism sectors in Malaysia. In terms of its significance, this sector is increasingly rapidly and, in fact, has recently been contributing towards the national income. Unlike in Western countries and in Japan, Korea, or Turkey, archaeotourism in Malaysia is rather behind in this sector. As a matter of fact, Malaysia has a very rich in heritage, particularly archaeological sites, monuments, and historic buildings in addition to its unique nature. Therefore, in the 9th Malaysian Plan (RMKe-9) and the 10th Malaysian Plan (RMKe-10), the Malaysian government made various efforts to improve facilities, particularly infrastructure, in order to attract a bigger number of tourists to visit the heritage sites. Aspects such as the definition, the scope, and the concept of archaeotourism are discussed and explained in this conceptual paper. Using qualitative methods, field observations, and interviews with several relevant respondents, this study tried to get feedback on the prospects, issues, and constraints that are affecting the development of archaeotourism. The study found that, although there are many heritage sites in Malaysia that are still not optimally developed, it was discovered that the archaeotourism sector has a high growth potential. In particular, the government has focused on providing various facilities in the vicinity of the heritage sites to attract tourists. This is because the archaeological sector is seen to be able to provide job opportunities to the local community and simultaneously to improve standards of living.