The absence of caravans from the local scene has prompted a tourism association to toy with the idea of promoting an ecosystem to support caravan tourism in the country.

Such an approach is like the old story of two shoe salesmen who were sent by different companies to Africa more than a century ago.

Both went to the same poor African region. Not long after arrival, the first salesman rushed back to his ship before it set sail on the return journey.

His telegraph message from the ship to his company read: “There is no market for shoes here because no one wears shoes.”

The second salesman stayed behind and sent a message from the local telegraph office saying: “No one is wearing shoes here, please ship 10,000 pairs as soon as possible while I set up shop.”

The second salesman was an entrepreneur who saw the opportunity. The story was meant to motivate marketeers to see potential, take risks, and turn obstacles into opportunities.

That was what I learned initially, but I later had a change of mind after growing wiser over the years.

It would have been a marketing disaster if 10,000 pairs of shoes were shipped to a place where people don’t wear shoes or could not pay the price for a pair, regardless of promotions.

In 1982, I drove across Australia starting from Perth and stopped overnight in many towns and cities including Albany, Adelaide and Canberra before ending my trip in Sydney.

The drive was leisurely and made comfortable and convenient by hotels, motels and petrol stations along the way. I approached some tourists in caravan parks to chat and check out their vehicles.

Upon my return, I worked in a car rental service that supplied self-drive vehicles to tourists from Australia on fly-drive holidays in Malaysia. Most of the vehicles were Datsun 1200s, which were very small compared to cars on Australian roads.

From 1974 to 1982, the same car rental company supplied even smaller Datsun 120Ys to Swiss tourists who were gung-ho enough to take delivery of a tiny car with right-hand drive at Changi airport and drive on the left side of trunk roads all over peninsular Malaysia.

In the mid-1980s, a local car rental company called Malaysia Motorhomes offered caravans for rental in Malaysia. It did not take long for it to close down. Since then, there have been many unsuccessful attempts to promote caravans in the country.

There are many reasons why caravan tourism will never be popular in Malaysia.

Hotel rooms in Malaysia have always been relatively cheap and are now even cheaper with private residences available through Airbnb. Such accommodations are easily found even in the smallest or most remote of towns.

It would cost less to rent a car and stay in hotels than to rent a caravan. Those who find checking in and out of hotels cumbersome can always opt for a cruise.

There are few spots in the country where caravans can stop safely and allow occupants to soak in the scenic beauty and ambience of the surroundings. It will not take long before they are harassed by a group of Mat Rempits, either.

Moreover, our hot weather coupled with safety and security issues in isolated areas make caravan tourism unsuitable, unlike in New Zealand, Australia and parts of the US.

There are no caravan parks for them to replenish water and hook up to electricity supply, which is necessary to run the air-conditioning overnight without using the vehicle’s engine.

The local authorities are unlikely to allocate a suitable piece of land for a caravan park, as it could easily be turned into a squatters’ colony. Some old buses and vans may be towed and left there, and converted into living quarters or rented out through Airbnb.

These are unlike food trucks which are in roadworthy condition and are not allowed to hog the same space overnight. Caravan parks with full facilities are costly to maintain, and in the absence of safety and security, tourists would become easy targets for all kinds of crime or fraud.

One or two incidents a year, if widely publicised, is enough to drag down our tourism image. It is better to steer clear of caravans.

CY Ming is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.