Malaysia holidays, rainforest & beaches

Taman Negara was declared for conservation in 1938 and has become Malaysia's premier national park and the largest in the country covering over 4343 square kilometres (434,300 hectares) of primary forest, spanning three states (Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang), and is situated in the centre of the Malay Peninsula. Taman Negara is the most extensively protected area of pristine, lowland, evergreen rainforest in the country. The stated purpose of Taman Negara is "to utilise the land within the park in perpetuity, for the propagation, protection and preservation of indigeneous flora and fauna".

90% of staff (150 in total) are from Kuala Tahan region and the industry needs the assistance of the local community for nature guides, boat services, food supply, and maintenance works. There has been a transfer of knowledge - Kuala Tahan is a remote area and level of education is very low. Employment within the resort has helped them to discover various opportunities and work skills during training, courses, workshops, outstation trips, and cross-exposure in other hotels of the company. As a result, staff have developed entrepreneurship skills - in Kuala Tahan region, almost all small chalet operators, floating restaurant operators, local tourist guides and local souvenir shop operators were once our personnel who benefited from various opportunities during their in house training. In addition, the level of spoken English has improved - the resort provides staff with the opportunity to practice English and improve communication skills. Lastly, there has been good cross-culture exchange to create a better understanding of various foreign cultures and reduce prejudices.

We pay a monthly leasing fee & contribute 3% of our gross yearly profit to the National Park Trustee Fund, set up for the maintenance of Taman Negara. We educate visitors to bring back rubbish to the resort by imposing RM 1.00 deposit on empty bottles, cans, and plastic wrappers (all with RM1.00 refundable stickers). There is informal education to create awareness on wildlife protection and the preservation of the rainforest and the environment. We associate the resort with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF Malaysian Chapter) by allowing them to place a WWF Charity Fund Box at our lobby. We played host to several government and non-governmental advisory meetings to protect Taman Negara as protected area in the country.