Penangan Piala Dunia terhadap pelancongan di Terengganu

KUALA TERENGGANU: It was the World Cup and not coral bleaching or the closure of five dive sites in Pulau Redang which reduced the number of visitors to the islands in the state this year.

Terengganu Tourism Association president Wan Supian Wan Ishak said the month-long World Cup, from June 11 to July 11, saw a drop of up to 50 per cent of the usual number of domestic and foreign tourists.

He said the coral bleaching phenomenon, which forced five dive sites to close until the end of the year, had little effect as less than 10 per cent of island-goers were divers.

"We have more than 20 dive sites still open in the many islands off the Terengganu coast and that is choice aplenty for diving enthusiasts.

"But football is the number one sport in the world and while some might have gone to South Africa, many more football fans preferred to stay home and catch the live action on television," said the Kapas Island Resort operator.

He admitted to also being caught up in the excitement of the World Cup and understood why his resort registered less than 50 per cent occupancy rate for the duration of the tournament.

"We have not had the final figure yet but it is safe to say less than 50,000 visitors found their way to Pulau Perhentian, while only slightly more than half of the usual 60,000 tourists made their way to Redang Island during the World Cup.

"Thank God the World Cup only takes place once in four years as business is usually less than brisk for most operators during that time although for a few lucky ones, it was business as usual at their island resorts."

One of these lucky few is Datuk Shazula Saripullah, whose Coral View Island Resort and Shari-La Island Resort on Pulau Perhentian did not suffer a drop in the number of guests.

"Those who came to our resorts must have been non-football fans as we registered an occupancy rate of more than 90 per cent in June and July.

"The rate stayed the same for August but we expect it to go down from this month until we close in early November and we are happy to note that our monthly average occupancy rate from March this year should stay above 75 per cent."

Meanwhile, state Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board acting director Zaini Sulaiman said, in a way, the World Cup was a blessing in disguise.

"The authorities in the state have been trying to reduce the number of tourists to the islands to protect the coral reefs from being damaged by overexposure.

"For example, the ideal number of yearly visitors to Pulau Redang should be less than 160,000 and thanks to the World Cup, the figure for this year is now very much achievable."

(Source: The News straits times 15 Sept 2010)

Begitulah penangan Kejohanan Piala Dunia terhadap pelancongan di Negeri Terengganu. Namun begitu beberapa pengusaha masih berpuashati dengan jumlah kedatangan pengunjung ke pulau-pulau seperti Pulau Redang dan Pulau Perhentian.

Blogger juga berpandangan bagi mengawal dan mengekalkan daya tarikan di pulau terutama kawasan selaman skuba, perlu ada satu dasar atau kawalan khas sebagaimana yang diamalkan di Taman Negara Sabah iaitu selaman di Pulau Sipadan, Mabul serta sekitarnya di mana hanya dihadkan seramai 120 orang penyelam sahaja sehari dibenarkan untuk membuat selaman skuba di kawasan tersebut. Langkah ini dibuat bagi mengekalkan hidupan koral di bawah laut dan seterusnya mengelakkan ancaman yang boleh mengganggu eko sistem hidupan di bawah laut.

Pihak Taman Laut Terengganu perlu mengambil langkah proaktif bagi membina polisi baru agar kawasan selaman di Pulau Redang, Pulau Perhentian serta di Pulau Tenggol di kawal agar eko sistemnya terjaga serta warisan dunia bawah laut Terengganu kekal terpelihara.

Para pelancong kini sudah semakin bijak untuk memilih tempat yang bersistematik dan terjaga daripada melawat kawasan dengan pakej yang murah tetapi kawasannya hampir musnah serta tercemar. Cuba kita lihat Pusat Pemuliharaan Orang Utan di Sepilok, Sandakan Sabah, program pemuliharaan orang utan yang dilaksanakan di sana telah menarik lebih ramai pelancong antarabangsa yang sama-sama turut memberi sokongan dan kehadiran pelancong semakin meningkat dari tahun ke setahun.

Blogger amat berharap Terengganu sebagai destinasi warisan akan kekal mewarisi keindahan dan keunikan yang terdapat di negeri cantik ini. Tindakan proaktif kita dari sekarang akan terus memayungi warisan yang kita ada untuk selama-lamanya.

Terengganu welcomes the world