This article discusses the growth of archaeotourism in Malaysia. Archaeotourism is part of heritage tourism which is one of the growing tourism sectors in Malaysia. In terms of its significance, this sector is increasingly rapidly and, in fact, has recently been contributing towards the national income. Unlike in Western countries and in Japan, Korea, or Turkey, archaeotourism in Malaysia is rather behind in this sector. As a matter of fact, Malaysia has a very rich in heritage, particularly archaeological sites, monuments, and historic buildings in addition to its unique nature. Therefore, in the 9 th Malaysian Plan (RMKe-9) and the 10 th Malaysian Plan (RMKe-10), the Malaysian government made various efforts to improve facilities, particularly infrastructure, in order to attract a bigger number of tourists to visit the heritage sites. Aspects such as the definition, the scope, and the concept of archaeotourism are discussed and explained in this conceptual paper. Using qualitative methods, field observations, and interviews with several relevant respondents, this study tried to get feedback on the prospects, issues, and constraints that are affecting the development of archaeotourism. The study found that, although there are many heritage sites in Malaysia that are still not optimally developed, it was discovered that the archaeotourism sector has a high growth potential. In particular, the government has focused on providing various facilities in the vicinity of the heritage sites to attract tourists. This is because the archaeological sector is seen to be able to provide job opportunities to the local community and simultaneously to improve standards of living.
Problem statement: X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-Ray Fluorescent (XRF) were used in order to obtain mineralogical and elemental composition of seven pottery shards that have been unearthed during the excavation at Peraling Cave and Cha Cave in Ulu Kelantan, Malaysia. Approach: Peraling Cave and Cha Cave were prehistoric sites dating from 10, 000 BC which were inhabited by Hoabinhian people and then continuously used by people of Neolithic culture around 3000 BC. Results: Mineralogical and elemental analyses were carried out to determine whether the pottery found in the archaeological sites was locally made or trading items. Several clay samples from rivers in Ulu Kelantan such as Perias River, Chai River, Peralon River, Nenggiri River, Betis River and Jenera River were taken to be analysed. Conclusion/Recommendations: Mineralogical and elemental content of the pottery shards showed that the pottery shards did not originate from the Ulu Kelantan area and one of the samples contained clinochlore mineral. Clinochlore forms from the metamorphic and hydrothermal alterations of other iron and magnesium silicate minerals and is usually found in igneus rock and metamorphic rock formation.
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