Tourism Malaysia pulls AI-made Citrawarna 2026 video after backlash

Tourism Malaysia has once again found itself under scrutiny over its marketing efforts, this time following backlash against an allegedly fully AI-generated promotional video for the Citrawarna 2026 cultural celebration, which is set to take place at Dataran Merdeka from 24 to 26 July.

The promotional clip, published across Tourism Malaysia's social media channels on 22 June, featured Visit Malaysia 2026 mascots Wira and Manja walking through an AI-generated Dataran Merdeka, alongside scenes depicting roti canai being prepared, traditional dancers, wood carvers, Malaysian delicacies and multicultural communities dressed in traditional attire.

However, rather than generating excitement for the annual cultural festival, the video quickly drew criticism across its comment sections and on Threads, with many questioning the decision to rely on artificial intelligence for a campaign promoting Malaysian culture.

Don't miss: Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign stirs up controversy around places featured and mascot origin 

One user, @danishbusmah, argued that while organisations such as the Singapore Tourism Board and brands including Grab have invested in championing local creative talent, Malaysia's own tourism authorities appeared to be overlooking homegrown artists and creators.

Another user, @itsvelmanis, pointed to inaccuracies in the AI-generated visuals, noting that the teh tarik lacked the distinctive frothy foam created through the traditional hand-pulling technique, while the ketupat appeared unnaturally textured.

Meanwhile, @stefgtan questioned why Tourism Malaysia had opted for AI-generated visuals when the country already offers real landscapes, heritage sites and cultural experiences capable of showcasing Malaysia authentically.

Several users also highlighted apparent errors in the Malaysian flag featured in the video, with screenshots circulating online showing the Jalur Gemilang appearing as a mirrored image. Others questioned whether the budget allocated for the campaign could have been better spent engaging local production houses, filmmakers and artists.

The criticism gained further traction after Malaysian actor and comedian Harith Iskander shared his thoughts on social media, questioning the rationale behind using AI when Malaysia has "actual cultural dancers, actual food, actual scenery, and actual creative production personnel" capable of producing the campaign.

"What concerns me most is not that maybe this was a cost-saving measure. It's scary because the decision makers sat around, looked at this AI ad and said to themselves, 'That's good enough,'" he said.

Observant netizens later noted that the promotional video had been removed from Tourism Malaysia's social media accounts on 24 June, just two days after it was uploaded.

On June 23, the tourism board uploaded a short video, showing the cultural dancers who are set to perform at Citrawarna 2026, practicing for the programme. 

A+M has reached out to Tourism Malaysia for comment and clarification.

According to social listening data shared with A+M by media intelligence firm CARMA, the backlash was driven overwhelmingly by concerns around authenticity rather than opposition to AI itself.

The analysis found that 84.62% of negative conversations centred on authenticity, making it the dominant criticism surrounding the campaign. Concerns over the exclusion of local creators and cultural representation each accounted for 53.85% of negative sentiment, pointing to wider anxieties around creative ownership, cultural accuracy and AI's growing role in replacing human creativity.

Interestingly, the strongest criticism came from members of the creative community. Authors, writers, artists and engineers accounted for the largest share of negative reactions, suggesting the conversation extended beyond the quality of the visuals and into broader questions about whether local creative talent was being sidelined in a campaign intended to represent Malaysian identity.

CARMA also found that audiences frequently compared the campaign unfavourably with filmmaker Sofyank's Visit Malaysia 2026 promotional video created in partnership with Grab. The comparison suggests consumers are not rejecting AI or technology outright, but are instead more receptive to technology that complements and enhances human creativity rather than replacing it.

The findings further indicate that for nation-branding and cultural campaigns, audiences increasingly care not only about the final creative output, but also about who was empowered to produce it. As AI becomes more widely adopted across the marketing industry, the Citrawarna 2026 debate highlights how creative ownership and cultural authenticity are becoming just as important as the technology behind the campaign itself.

The backlash comes despite Tourism Malaysia having rolled out an extensive suite of promotional assets for Visit Malaysia 2026 in June 2025. Anchored by the flagship film "Echoes of harmony: Malaysia's heartbeat", the campaign comprised 204 video assets in English, Mandarin and Arabic, spanning general destination films, regional showcases and themed segments highlighting Malaysia's culture, cuisine and tourism offerings.

However, the tourism body has faced several controversies over its Visit Malaysia 2026 promotions in the past year. In October 2025, Tourism Malaysia drew criticism after announcing a strategic partnership with Starbucks Malaysia, with some Malaysians objecting to the brand over its alleged support of Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Later that month, the agency also came under fire after promoting Sunway Lagoon's Nights of Fright 11 Halloween attraction on Threads. The post prompted criticism from netizens who questioned why the ministry was spotlighting Halloween instead of upcoming cultural celebrations such as Deepavali.

Feature image screenshots courtesy of Buzzkini and The Rakyat Post.

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