Popularity is not a state of grace. In the tourism business, it is treasure hard-won on the battlefields of product development and marketing, then leveraged or squandered or stolen back.
Most of the products and ideas showcased at travel fairs—the packages we buy, sell, and otherwise booked the most—owe their status in part to aggressive sales tactics, from knocking on doors to strong-arming grocers to gain the best media space.
In its most potent and permanent form, however, popularity transcends sales pitches, advertising, fads, and maybe even conscious choice.
One rarely reads or talks or thinks about island packages, yet Langkawi has beaten Tioman for years, a sustained level of popularity that other islands can only dream about.
While Langkawi rolls on, Redang—the most buzzworthy island product of the last decade—will probably take its place amid the eco-tourism range. In short, if we have to think about going for island trips, it's in a precarious position. The things we rarely pause to consider are the ones that stay on top.
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