How Malaysia’s new-age tourism blends nature, heritage, and modernity right

Melaka

By Divya Thotawatte 

From a cruise boat gliding across Putrajaya’s lake, every passenger stood still, captivated by the story unfolding before us. Bridges, buildings, and sprawling malls rose in a rich mix of historical, traditional, and contemporary design, mirrored back in the water and glittering under Malaysia’s blinding sun. 

It was a colour palette of blue, silver, green, and pastel browns and pinks, coming together in a gorgeous view that captured the essence of Malaysia. Modernity stood beside tradition, all framed by stretches of carefully preserved greenery. 

As a first-time visitor to Malaysia, I was part of a familiarisation tour organised through a collaboration between Tourism Malaysia and Sri Lankan Airlines. After a smooth journey with Sri Lankan Airlines, we arrived in Malaysia feeling refreshed enough to dive straight into exploring. 

Over six days, we explored a range of cities like Putrajaya, Melaka/Malacca, Genting Highlands, and, of course, Kuala Lumpur. Our experiences in each city were varied. Putrajaya was calm and sophisticated, Melaka charmed us with its coastal heritage and bargain-filled streets, the Genting Highlands were full of high-altitude adventures, and the urban rush of Kuala Lumpur was breath-taking, both literally and figuratively. 

Each city offered something different, and they all only reminded us what we had been missing out by not travelling to Malaysia sooner. 

They also had one central theme in common. Their tourism embraced luxury and modernity, with five-star hotels and high-end brands around every corner, but also with a heavy focus on the preservation of their nature, history, and heritage. Every experience was immersive and there was always a good story to tell. 

The natural and the new

In Cyberjaya, Malaysia’s rising tech hub, where you would expect the city to be taken over with glassy buildings and steely fences, the roads were lined with sweeping greenery. The developments taking place in the city were not pushing its natural surroundings aside, but were being worked around it. Amidst the progress, stillness, harmony, and nature were emphasised, even as we drove past buildings and large structures of innovation and business. 

We spent the night at the Pulse Grande Hotel in Putrajaya. In addition to having the loveliest time there, we also realised that part of the hotel was built around an indoor garden and stream that added a little whimsy to our experience there. Facing the garden and listening to the soft sound of the stream, you could even have a cup of coffee at the hotel’s Big Roundabout Secret Garden Cafe. 

Where over 55% of the country is forested, you will still not tire of it. Malaysia makes sure of it with the peace and easy access to things, from food to tools and washrooms, and especially the smooth roads that make for easy travel, even in some of the most rural areas. Categorised as an emerging, highly-industrialised, mixed economy, Malaysia has evidently found a balance between development and honouring its natural heritage. 

On the second night, we stayed at the newly opened Birkin International Hotel in Melaka. It was the true showstopper of the tour, curated with luxurious details, from the littlest design trimmings to the grandest gestures. 

The red buildings in Melaka surrounded by souvenir shops and colourful trishaws for tourists

Elaborate floral arrangements added a sense of grace and richness to the place, together with sculptural accents that represented the history of the seaport town of Melaka. They only complemented the hotel’s sleek furnishings and marble-clad walls that shimmered under warm golden lighting, blending nature, Melaka’s history, and culture with the hotel’s modern opulence. 

This hotel too shared Malaysia’s heavy focus on landscape. “We spent five million ringgit on perfecting the landscape for the hotel,” said Birkin International Hotel General Manager Simon Tan. This dedication to weave natural beauty with contemporary architecture and luxury was a constant theme in almost all the places we stopped at for the tour. 

Up in the mountains 

With its multiple theme parks, cable car rides, premium shopping centres, and towering hotels perched up high in the mountains, another experience that left us speechless was the Genting Highlands. Nature and design turned its high-altitude landscape into a surreal and futuristic escape. 

Our rooms were on the 36th floor of the Wyndham Ion Majestic/1001 Nights Hotel Genting Highlands, and the ascent itself felt like we were entering a different world. The hotel went even higher, and a Hard Rock Cafe sat on the 50th floor. 

Dancing under club lights and moving head lights by the indoor pool of a Hard Rock Cafe, standing higher than even the surrounding peaks, felt disorienting, cinematic, and electric at the same time. Floating between the landscape and the sky, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

Below, cable cars glided over the misty forest, and the Genting SkyWorlds outdoor theme park and the neon-coloured Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park also turned the mountains into an adventure park. However, with all these developments around them, the mountains and their vast forest canopy still remained largely undisturbed and emphasised throughout our journey there. 

Additionally, the Chin Swee Caves Temple was a highlight of the Genting journey. A prominent Buddhist religious site and tourist destination constructed on steep rock, 4600 feet above sea level, this Chinese temple also highlighted how Malaysia blends nature, culture, and futuristic modernity into even the most improbable of places, creating a rich experience for its visitors. 

History, pop songs, trishaw rides in Melaka 

Another unforgettable cultural experience was the World Heritage City of Melaka. Climbing up the A Famosa fortress, which is among the last surviving traces of the Portuguese colonial architecture, was a live lesson in history about the city’s colonial past, still standing, even as the city continues to evolve around it. 

Just a short walk away from A Famosa, the iconic red buildings of Dutch Square, especially the Stadthuys and the Christ Church, also stood, vivid and beautifully maintained. The buildings were surrounded by colourfully decorated trishaws and souvenir stalls where prices were flexible, and no one paid the first price they heard. 

Part of the Seri Perdana Bridge in Putrajaya

The trishaw rides for tourists were a colourful experience on their own. Each vibrantly decorated in popular themes like Spider-Man or Frozen and blasting pop songs of your choice as you passed the colonial streets and structures, newer shops, and even the Taming Sari Tower, it was a unique moment to witness how the history, present, and the future merged together in the busy streets of Melaka. 

The city in motion

In Kuala Lumpur, the contrasts felt sharper and a little more intentional. It was filled with towering skyscrapers, colonial period buildings, bustling malls, street food stalls and streets, and cultural landmarks all sharing the same crowded place. The capital was the fastest-paced place of the trip, but still carried the same theme of heritage meeting progress. 

We spent the last two nights at The Royal Signature Hotel KL and the Ramada Suites by Wyndham KLCC, both offering a comfortable and well-located base to explore the capital. 

A new chapter for Sri Lankan travellers 

This FAM tour, jointly organised by Tourism Malaysia and Sri Lankan Airlines, marks a promising step towards the future of tourism between the two countries. With over 61,000 Sri Lankans visiting Malaysia in 2024, both nations are now actively working together to strengthen their tourism ties. 

One of the key proposals is the introduction of visa-free entry for Sri Lankan tourists visiting Malaysia. While Sri Lankans are still required to apply for a visa to enter Malaysia, discussions are underway to implement a visa-free arrangement in the near future. 

Expressing Tourism Malaysia’s support for the move, Tourism Malaysia International Promotion – Asia/Africa Senior Director Nuwal Fadhilah Ku Azmi said, “This initiative is part of ongoing efforts to further increase the number of Sri Lankan visitors to Malaysia, while also strengthening the long-standing bilateral relations between the two nations.”

She also noted that Sri Lanka remained one of Malaysia’s key markets in South Asia, with visitor arrivals continuing to grow steadily in the post-COVID period. 

View of the Chin Swee Caves temple from a cable car

The FAM tour gave Sri Lankan media the chance to experience Malaysia’s rich tourism offerings first-hand, deepening connections and mutual understanding between the two travel markets. As part of the same project, the two parties are also planning to bring Malaysian influencers to Sri Lanka to showcase its charm and diversity to a new audience. 

The two countries have much to offer one another. While Sri Lanka’s mix of landscapes, heritage, and experiences make it more attractive to regional travellers, Malaysia’s attractions are just as layered and memorable. 

For Sri Lankans planning their own visit to the country, Sri Lankan Airlines operates double daily flights to Kuala Lumpur, mostly with narrow-body aircraft, along with a weekly wide-body service, making travel both convenient and frequent.

As Sri Lankan Airlines Malaysia Manager Sharuka Wickrama Adittiya put it, “Malaysia’s beauty is like no other. Their food game is like no other. Just imagine adding tea to your coffee. Who does that? We always have one or the other.” 

For me, that Kopi Cham example highlights Malaysia’s essence and ability to blend cultures, flavours, and traditions into something new. It is a place of multitudes, and perfect for travellers who like their experiences layered and bold.