Where Tourism Promotions Will Not Get More Visitors

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I REFER to the Bernama report “Pahang dismisses claims of unequal tourism promotions”. State Unity, Tourism and Culture Committee chairman Leong Yu Man disclosed that numerous claims were made attributing the sluggish tourism activity in Tasik Chini, Tasik Bera, and Cherating to a lack of promotion by the government.
Many years ago, I stayed at the Cherating Holiday Villa not long after it was completed in 1987. The beach resort is 47km north of Kuantan, where I often stayed at the Hyatt Regency at Teluk Cempedak as my tour company was operating a branch office from this beach resort.
But I have never been to Tasik Chini or Tasik Bera, and so I used Google Maps to find out their locations and accessibility. From Kuala Lumpur, Tasik Chini is 225km away and the second half of the journey passes through meandering rural roads, which can be very interesting or taxing.
Having travelled three hours or more by road, it does not make sense to be there for only a couple of hours and then return, repeating the same arduous journey. Hence, the Lake Chini Resort was built in 1985 but was closed down in November 2019, even before the pandemic.
As Peninsular Malaysia is crisscrossed by highways and roads, there are many routes to choose from. If the drive takes three hours or more, motorists would prefer destinations where good food and comfortable accommodations are available but sorely lacking at Tasik Chini.
However, those seeking adventure in unique natural surroundings, which Lake Chini is blessed with, will not be deterred by such shortcomings. But their numbers are small compared to mainstream tourists. Hence, visitors will remain few even if tourism promotions are stepped up.
While I have a rough idea of where Tasik Chini is located since my school days more than 60 years ago, I was shocked to realise that Tasik Bera is 55km north of Temerloh, an hour’s drive away. Also, the spot marking Bera Lake did not show anything blue denoting water as in rivers.
(Image: Libur)This is because Tasik Bera is not a lake but a swamp. In fact, it is the largest natural freshwater swamp in the peninsula, whereas Putrajaya Wetlands Park is the first man-made wetlands in Malaysia and the largest constructed freshwater wetlands in the tropics.
Putrajaya wetlands and connected man-made lakes are about 20sq km in total, and Tasik Bera covers 62sq km. If many people from Kuala Lumpur have not visited the Putrajaya wetlands, it is doubtful they would drive two and a half hours and over 170km to check out Tasik Bera.
Tasik Bera is rich in wildlife and vegetation. The ecosystem supports a diversity of animal and plant life that could sustain the livelihood of the Orang Asli inhabiting the wetlands. It is similar to our coastal mangrove swamps that provide a crucial nursery habitat for various marine life.
Swamps can be smelly, especially mangrove swamps at low tide, and may not appeal to leisure visitors, unlike the huge Tasik Kenyir in Ulu Terengganu which was formed after a dam was built in 1985. It is the largest man-made lake in mainland Southeast Asia covering 2,600sq km.
Tasik Chini and Tasik Bera would have to compete with many other natural and man-made lakes in the peninsula, which is daunting.
But it is nothing compared to Cherating having to compete with the countless kilometres of sandy beaches along the coast and around numerous islands.
Therefore, we must get our priorities right when promoting tourism with limited budgets. Last year, Cherating received 220,567 tourists who stayed for at least one night and Tasik Chini 946 visitors, who are mainly excursionists or day-trippers that did not stay overnight.
These are insignificant numbers compared to 13,743,272 tourist arrivals and spending 12.35 billion in Pahang last year. The top four destinations were Genting Highlands (8,554,379), Kuantan (2,289,914), Cameron Highlands (1,377,732), and Temerloh (286,038).
Interestingly, Taman Negara received a record number of tourists last year, at 145,435. But reaching the national park now is a far cry from when I used to bring tour groups there in the early 1970s.
Then, the only option was to travel by road to Tembeling Halt (renamed Kuala Tembeling) and then by boat to Kuala Tahan, the entry point to Taman Negara, which may take up to three hours when the river is shallow and boatmen would have to get off and push the boat.
In conclusion, Tasik Chini and Tasik Bera not only compete with other natural and manmade lakes in Pahang, they also have to compete with Taman Negara as visitors will have to travel by boats within the national park, and may also take a long and thrilling river ride to reach there. 
YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.
- Focus Malaysia.

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