Kota Bharu is ready for its close-up

Kota Bharu desperately wants tourists to come.

There are a clutch of small museums in the centre of town, focusing on different aspects of local history and craft (the local sultans, the town history, WW2, local Islamic practices around childbearing, weaving and woodcarving, etc.).

There is a cultural centre that does free 2 hour performances and demonstrations of local entertainments several times a week, where visitors learn about and are encouraged to try top spinning, drumming, and the local martial art that for all the world looks like a dance, interspersed with occasional bouts of grappling.

There are plenty of good value hotels (the rack rates are often... ambitious, but many of the smaller hotels and guesthouses offer 50-60% discounts on booking sites).

The food is great, natch.

And the town has an attractive location, right on the riverfront, and is a convenient base for exploring the state.

But the Western tourists still don't come - except for the French. I spent 4 nights in town, and saw about a dozen other Westerners, most of whom were at the cultural centre with me for the demos, and all were French.

(I always find it weird how certain towns attract certain nationalities. I've been to towns in Asia where most of the visitors are Scandinavians. In Mae Nam on Samui, there were a plethora of Austrians. Why?)

That's not to say that the hotels are all completely empty, but I did get the impression that most other guests were either local tourists or business travellers. The museums were certainly pretty quiet. And overall, the town gives the impression of economic difficulties, with empty buildings turned over to bird boxes, and piles of rubble in the main market.

Which is a shame. Kota Bharu is a nice town to spend a few days. So with no further waffle, here are my top pics for the town:

• Best museum: crafts museum (AKA Handicrafts Village), for the fantastic weaving on display, and Islam museum, for the building.
• Best activities: cultural centre, for the demos. Be aware that it's often quite quiet. When I arrived, I was initially the only one there (and was somewhat embarrassed, wondering if I should sneak off so the performers didn't have to put on their show for only me). Luckily, around the time the performance was supposed to start, another couple arrived. Then over the first 15 minutes of the show, a half dozen others arrived.
• Best food: the fried fish at Restoran Nasi Ulam Cikgu (open 11-5) next to the crafts museum, the nasi dagang breakfasts at Capital Cafe (mornings only, I think), the fried chicken at Warisan Nasi Kukus Kebun Sultan on Jl Kebun Sultan (dinner only).
• Things to avoid: like much of SE Asia, broken pavements, bad traffic and roads without pedestrian crossings, and missing drain covers are the norm. Watch your footing, or prepare for skinned knees (I ruin more trousers that way....).

Overall, NE Malaysia attracts far fewer international tourists than the Western coast does, and that's a shame, because these are engaging, low-key and hassle-free destinations. If you get a chance to explore this part of the country, go!