Background
Pulau Perhentian is situated about 20 km to the south east of Kuala Besut. It lies in the jurisdiction of the Besut District Office.
Pulau Perhentian consists of a group of islands namely:
- Pulau Perhentian Besar
- Pulau Perhentian Kecil
- Pulau Susu Dara and other smaller islands.
The islands total area covers approximately 1,392.15 hectares. They have plenty of golden sandy beaches although they are mainly made of hills and cliffs which can reach from 70 up to 300 metres high.
Public Facilities And Infrastructure
Almost all the public facilities provided here are at Pulau Perhentian Kecil where most of the population are. Amongst the facilities found here are a primary school and a kindergarten, a mosque, a government health clinic, a post office, a community hall, a fire station and some 2 storey shops. Other facilities provided are the public jetties at Teluk Pauh and Teluk Keke and another main jetty for the villagers' use.
Present Situation
The major land utilization in Pulau Perhentian includes the areas locating the tourists and the jungle areas. There is only one settlement area in whole island. It is in Kampung Pasir Hantu, Pulau Perhentian Kecil with an area of 9.87 hectares. This settlement was involved in the Relocation Of Traditional Fisherman's Village Program. Through this program the construction of houses were implemented in a more arranged manner. The total population of Pulau Perhentian is about 1,300 people with almost 80% are involved in tourism sector, 20% in public sector and retail traders.
Tourism areas are focused around Teluk Pauh, Pasir Jong, Teluk Keke and Teluk Dalam in Pulau Perhentian Besar while in Pulau Perhentian Kecil it concentrates in Pasir Pasir Panjang, Teluk Kerma, Teluk Aur and several other places in the eastern side.
A major portion of both the islands are still full of virgin forest with the plant species such as Cengal, Balau, Bitangor Laut, Kelat Laut and Rhu.
Corals are found in the sea surrounding the islands especially around Pantai Tiga Ruang, Teluk Dalam, Tajung Tukas Laut, Teluk Kerma and in the waters between Pulau Perhentian Kecil and Pulau Perhentian Besar. According to a study conducted, fifty species of corals have been found around Pulau Perhentian. At certain spots, twenty different species of corals are found in every 200 square meters of sea areas.
Six sandy beaches of Pulau Perhentian attract turtles, Penyu Karah and Penyu Agar, to lay eggs. The beaches include Tanjung Gantung and Pasir Pengalau in Pulau Perhentian Kecil and Pasir Tiga Ruang, Tanjung Tiga Ruang, Tanjung Tukas Laut and Tanjung Pinang Seribu in Pulau Perhentian Besar. There are also the swallows species, the walet, which build their nests in the caves around Teluk Batu Tabir and Gua Buaya.
Public Amenities And Infrastructure
Almost all public amenities are found in the settlement area in Pulau Perhentian Kecil. Among the facilities provided are kindergarten, primary school, mosque, balai raya, police station, health clinic, postal agent, people's fire brigade, cemetery, 2-storey MARA shop and shop houses.
Other facilities provided include public jetties at Teluk Pauh and Teluk Keke and the main jetty in the settlement area. To match the status of Pulau Perhentian waters as the Sea Park, the Fishery Department has set up a Sea Park Center to place staffs to guard the waters apart from providing information facilities.
Water Supply
The main source of water supply in Pulau Perhentian is from the underground water from Teluk Dalam, Pulau Perhentian Besar. SATU water supply service is only available in the settlement area in Pulau Perhentian Kecil. Other tourism centers get their water supply from the underground water around their respective places. As a whole the supply of water is insufficient especially during the draught season.
Electricity Supply
TNB electricity supply is also available only in the settlement area in Pulau Perhentian Kecil with 24 hours service. For the tourism spots, electricity is obtained from private generators and most of them are unable to provide 24 hours electricity supply.
Transport System
Sea transport system using boats is the main means of transportation between Pulau Perhentian and the mainland. The main tourism jetty terminal in the mainland is located in Kuala Besut. The terminal which costs RM3 millions began to operate in early 1998 with the facilities such as a place for tourists to wait and board the boats, ticket counter, crafts stalls, food stalls and others.
Land route between settlement areas and tourism spots are the footpaths through tracks in the jungle which foreign tourists love to cross through. Apart from that, there are also small boats which they call ‘taxi' to carry passengers to tourism locations.
Garbage Removal
Besut District Council has begun the garbage collecting service in 1997. The appointed contractor will collect the garbage from the settlement and tourism areas and later carry them to the mainland to be destroyed at the incineration sites. The garbage collecting work operates from February to August every year.
Tourism Potential
There are about 1,000 rooms from 42 chalets and resorts. The rooms are of various categories including luxury resorts, middle and low class chalets, dormitories and camping sites with rent rates ranging from RM50 to RM300 per day.
The clarity of the sea water with the varieties of marine lives and the suitability of the place makes the tourism center popular with activities such as snorkeling, surfing, camping and watching turtles laying eggs.
The originality and beauty of untouched nature like the sea, land, sand and rocks, caves, hills, jungle and natural growths make it possible for activities to be held such as jungle tracking, researches and many others.
Pulau Perhentian also became an attraction to tourists for scuba diving activity. The certificate issued is recognized at world level.
Active participation either directly or indirectly by local residents in the tourism industry have managed to assist them in improving their economic status. Indirectly it pushes the downstream industry in the service sector on the island.
