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

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.

- BY DIVYA THOTAWATTE

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 breathtaking, 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.