GLOCAL vol.15

11/20

2019 Vol.152019 Vol.159Heritage Commodification in George Town World Heritage Site, Penang, Malaysia changes of social structure and impact to local business sustainability. Scope of heritage is facing dilemma due to importance of national identity; hence national tourism policy direction has emphasis on safeguarding and ensuring the equity of heritage resources for future generation. Understanding the market demand at this era is essential as they play an important role in purchasing, experiencing and learning on heritage products. ReferencesAshworth, G.(2012) Preservation, Conservation and Heritage: Approaches to the Past in the Present through the Built Environment, Journal Asian Anthropology, 10(1),1-18.Li,Y.(2003) Heritage Tourism:The contradictions between conservation and change, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 4(3), 247-261.Suraiyati,R.(2013) Heritage Management Challenges in Historic Town of Ludlow, England, World Applied Sciences Journal 24 (12): 1589-1596.Waitt, G.(2000). Consuming heritage. Annals of Tourism Research, 27(4), 835‒862. Wight P.(1994) Environmentally responsible marketing of tourism. In Ecotourism: A Sustainable Option? (E. Cater and G. Lowman, eds). London: Wiley.Introduction　Heritage buildings, monuments and cultures are heritage resources that remind us of history a contribute to sense of place (Suraiyati, 2013). Recently, historical resources have been used widely to shape the socio-cultural identity of places. Experiencing heritage has become one of several priorities in the cultural motivation to travel, resulting in a commodification of the past (Waitt, 2000). According to Ashworth (2012), the built environment resulted from human needs, and this can be seen in the physical morphologies and usage of the physical environment Heritage Commodification Concept　Heritage commodification is the process of transforming historic resources into a contemporary commodity to satisfy a current consumption need. Wight (1994) claimed that a destination with maximum business goals of tourism development but few strategies for cultural heritage conservation might lead to the loss of its culture and tradition. Similarly, Li (2003) stated that intensified efforts to conserve a cultural heritage rather than to develop it for tourism may lead to the failure of businesses in a destination. George Town possesses a distinctive character as a heritage city and was nominated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2008 under category II, III and IV, according to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). The world’s recognition of the branding image of a heritage site has made it a popular destination for international and local tourists. Consequently, the demands of heterogenous users have transformed the preservation of the built heritage. However, it cannot be denied that the changing nature of the residents, who are not keen to reside in the inner city of George Town compared to a few decades ago. This has led to a re-adaptive use of the colonial premises in the inner city of George Town. Although the original functions of the premises might not be doable for the present day, but the attempt to conserve the pre-war premises might revitalise the heritage city and generate the economy. Conclusion　Lesson learnt from a few examples of World Heritage Site in Asean countries has shown dramatic Dr Suraiyati RahmanBSc and MSc in Urban and Regional Planning (USM), Ph.D in Tourism Planning (University of Birmingham, UK)School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia (suraiyati@usm.my)Area of Expertise: Tourism Planning, Heritage Tourism, Urban Planning and Impact Assessment.s