Marketing and Branding Initiatives for Local Food and Tourism Identity of Terengganu, Malaysia

This chapter focuses on Terengganu and seeks to explore its local food and tourism development as well as marketing and branding initiatives. Within the context of local food, tourism, and destination marketing and branding studies, scholars continuously contest the truth of food as the core traveling purpose among tourists to visit a particular tourist destination. It was found that, recently, many tourist destinations have utilized local food as part of marketing and branding initiatives to position and stimulate appealing image in every tourists' eyes and mind. Therefore, using the case of Terengganu in Malaysia, this chapter explores and discusses the details of local cuisine and tourism employed by Tourism Terengganu (i.e., the state tourism board – STB) to market and brand the state worldwide. Terengganu is located in between two states (i.e., Kelantan and Pahang) on the east coast region of West Malaysia. Keropok lekor, nasi dagang, satar, akok, nasi kerabu, laksam, ketupat sotong, and lempeng nyior are among local food specialties in Terengganu. These dishes are often being displayed and marketed worldwide in various tourism marketing and used as promotional tools to speak about Terengganu and its tourism identity. Results from archival documents analysis have found that Tourism Terengganu employed various types of marketing and branding initiatives to promote Terengganu's local food and tourism industry domestically and internationally. All of these create and establish local food and tourism identity of Terengganu as part of destination branding efforts.