Tourism boom comes at a cost for Johor's hidden paradise

Mersing's coral reefs, which draw visitors, are showing signs of distress: Conservationists

- Harith Mustaffa

Boat assistant Mohd Najib Abdul Jalil (left), 37, and boatman Norjayat A. Bakar, 37, suffered pay cuts when six islands were closed for conservation work, as tour packages had to be rerouted or cut short. A marine conservationist from Reef Check Malaysia examining corals at Pulau Aur. Data from the organisation's 2023 survey revealed that Mersing's coral cover now stands at a marginally healthy 50 per cent.

(ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFA PHOTO: REEF CHECK MALAYSIA)

After a 20-minute dash from the mouth of the Mersing River, two speedboats carrying 18 passengers glided past a chain of small islands, before docking at an uninhabited hilly island where a narrow trail leads up the hill.

Those who tackled the steep climb at Pulau Seri Buat were rewarded with a panoramic vista of hilly islands, sandbanks, and distant coral reefs painted in three shades of blue.

"It is hard to believe this is Malaysia," said cafe manager Shamiel Saiful Baharin, 28, who was among the first to reach the peak.

He was part of a group that had travelled 12 hours by road from Selangor for a weekend work retreat, paying RM180 (S$56) per head to snorkel and go island-hopping.

These day-trippers are part of a new tourism wave transforming Mersing. Once a sleepy gateway to the popular Tioman Island, the Johor coastal district is now the destination itself. The district boasts 97 islands and rocky islets, and those who travel for island-hopping trips either visit Mersing as a single-day trip or stay in hotels and chalets on the mainland.

In 2023, local media Bernama reported, citing a local tourism association member, that Mersing welcomed 700,000 visitors that year. Mersing district officer Jamil Hasni Abdullah said that by August 2025, over 360,000 tourists had already been recorded for the year. Looking ahead, the Johor state is targeting two million annual visitors by 2030.