Positioning Heritage Mosque Tourism for Sustainable Commercialisation: A Case Study

Heritage sites would become much more commercially-viable if they are designed in such a way that enables the public to gain economic advantages. The Alwi Mosque in Perlis, the Zahir Mosque in Kedah, the Kapitan Keling Mosque in Penang, the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, the Kampung Hulu Mosque in Malacca, and many others are gaining popularity as tourist destinations due to their distinctive architecture, aesthetic value, and history. Most of the heritage mosques are listed under the World Heritage Site, UNESCO, which elevates their visibility to tourists. This is in line with SDG 16 which aims to promote regeneration, preserve cultural heritage, sustain city communities, and strengthen the mosque institution as a peaceful place for community gathering. This research aims at exploring the commercialisation potential of heritage mosques in the tourism industry through a qualitative study (a semi-structured interview) which will answer the stipulated research questions. The theme was built by collecting all the relevant data and then analysing them using the Atlasti.22 software. The theme established encompasses several aspects such as preservation and conservation, target audience, heritage knowledge, religious understanding, technological advancement, collaboration, and community engagement.