Pulau Redang

According to a report on The Star newspaper on 9 April 2009, Terengganu state government decide to turn Pulau Redang into a high-end holiday destination and only allow five-star hotels to be built on the beautiful island. In future, the hotel room rates will cost no less than US$500 (RM1,599) a night.

While I agree with the ultimate target of preserving the environment and turning the island into a high quality holiday spot, I am slightly puzzled by the need to set a minimum room rate for the accommodation on the island. The move is to attract rich and famous visitors but it also denies many ordinary Malaysians the chance to visit one of the best natural heritage in the country. It strikes me that this decision is likely to make Pulau Redang becomes another Pangkor Laut Resort.

Apparently the reason behind this move is to prevent further damage to the marine environment, primarily caused by the high number of tourists and poor sewage system of low budget chalets. So, the logic is richer tourists will behave better and cause less pollution and damage to the island? But it does sound like the root of the problem is the inability to control and monitor the hotel/chalet operations and tourist activities. If waste disposal system is causing the problem, upgrade it or shut down the accommodation before it is too late. If the island cannot take too many tourists, limit the number of people on the island.

Redang is made famous by a Hong Kong film Summer Holiday (picture above) in 2000. I spent a few days on the island in 1997 and really enjoyed the holiday. Like many Malaysians, I want the authority to take necessary measures to preserve the corals and marine environment of the island. But I am against the idea of setting high hotel rates because not many Malaysians can afford RM1,599 a night. The authority should tackle the root of the problems, not turning fellow Malaysians away.