Empowering Local Communities through an Intelligent Digital Platform for Rural Tourism in Malaysia

Tourism plays a pivotal role in Malaysia’s economy, accounting for about 6.1% of its Gross National Product in 2019 and offering numerous job opportunities. However, while mainstream tourism thrives, rural tourism grapples with challenges like inadequate infrastructure, technology gaps, and insufficient marketing. This research delves into the prospects of integrating smart tourism and ubiquitous computing within Malaysia’s rural tourism framework to understand how digital innovations can enrich and simplify the travel experience. Key inquiries assess the current digital readiness of rural tourism in Malaysia and identify areas for improvement to align with international norms. The research unveils that existing digital platforms, though promising, are disjointed and miss critical features like integrated booking, immersive tech, and language support. As such, this paper advocates for a holistic digital platform based on ubiquitous computing to fully exploit the digital potential for rural tourism in Malaysia.