Redang Island - A great experience with some faults

I spent 5 days on Redang Island with my family and have to say that it was quite a nice experience.

Berjaya Group holds the whole value chain. Its planes, Berjaya Air, take off from Subang Airport, the former airport in Malaysia, that was closed down a couple a years ago with the completion of the new airport KLIA in Sedang. We were picked up in Redang with buses run by the Berjaya Group, which drove a short distance to the resort.

All went well - especially in the hotel. There was no hick-ups anywhere.

The hotel staff especially was extremely accommodating. Friendly to my kid - helping him to carry food from the buffet, offering to put another pillow on his chair to increase his height. One receptionist who met us incidentally after her work, when she walked with a friend, asked, if our room was okay.

The environment is great as well. Clear sea, a white beach, just something like a dream - but, and there is always a but, as sad as it is.

Tourists are invited to see corals - and here, the value chain breaks down. Since the waters around the corals are very shallow, and probably because many tourists cannot swim, they walk around and stand on the corals - basically killing them. I told one, but there was no reaction. I asked one of the shippers, and he only said, that tourists shouldn't stand, or touch corals.

What would be great it if Berjaya would explain to those traveling to those places the importance of the coral ecosystem, and may be even penalize those who won't listen.

It is all about education and the dialogue with your customers, isn't it?