Want To know REDANG ISLAND

BEING a concerned coral reef conservationist I would like to refer to the report of ‘Terengganu to widen Redang airstrip to handle more tourist’, (The Star, Sept 7).

I go to Redang island quite frequently as part of my work to monitor and assess the situation of coral reefs around the waters of Malaysia. I have seen the tremendous increase in the number of tourists over the past years and degradation in coral reefs.

Through observation, during the weekends and holiday seasons, you can see a field of orange life-jackets on the waters in front of the Marine Park Centre, sometimes reaching up to 700 people in the water at one time, and not being able to see where the sea is actually. The number of tourists has grown past the carrying capacity of the natural resources on the island.

The natural resources, coral reef especially, are facing these threats from humans and are dying by the second.

Sadly, the state government is still concerned about the tourists rather than the natural resources which actually attract the tourists in the first place.

If steps are not taken to protect these natural resources, Redang could end up being an island with no natural beauty in 10 years time, and the tourists will all go elsewhere. Do something before it is too late.

The state government has approved the widening of the airstrip on diving haven Redang island to cater for increasing tourist arrivals.

State Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Zaabar Mohd Adib said the present strip was not wide enough to handle emergencies.

“We are also planning to upgrade the airport terminal,” he said.

He said the project was crucial as the airport was a gateway to Redang for foreign tourists, especially Singaporeans.

“There are two flights daily to the island operated by Berjaya Air,” he said, adding that the flights were from the airports in Subang and Seletar, Singapore.

The island now has a 60:40 ratio of foreigner to local tourists.

“More foreigners are making Redang their popular excursion spot,” Zaabar said, adding that hotel and resorts were enjoying 85% occupancy even during off-peak seasons.

“We are also witnessing a niche market at Redang where most tourists spend lavishly during their stay on the island,” he said.

Zaabar said the state government was also encouraging tourists from Hong Kong and Europe to come to the island and to stop at Kuala Terengganu first.

“The state government is planning to recruit tourist guides to bring foreigners to the city centre once they have landed at the Sultan Mahmud Airport here,” he added.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at 10:59 pm and is filed under Hotel, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.