FINAL VERSION FOR APPROVAL - Sdn Bhd - WWF Malaysia

Gunung Stong State Park Preliminary Management Plan
Likewise, resorts are not viable in areas with low visitor volumes, and lessons in resort
development from Tg. Mentong and Kuala Koh at Taman Negara, Kenong Rimba Park, Pedu
Lake and Pulau Payar Marine Park should be learnt, and not replicated. As a cautionary note,
the bigger (and more expensive the resort), the higher will be the upkeep, maintenance and
operating costs, and the higher will be the break-even point. Visitors to GSSP lack the critical
mass needed to make resorts a viable business option.
The current majority of visitors to GSSP are the hardy hikers and campers (eco- and nature
tourists) who accept the miseries and discomfort of the outdoors as part of the nature
experience, and they are fitter than the average leisure/mass tourist. Almost all visitors to
GSSP stay at the Baha Camp, either camping or spending their nights at the very basic huts.
They look with disdain at upscale resort accommodation.
There is a rest house at Dabong, operated by the Majlis Daerah Kuala Krai Selatan
(MDKKS), with 3 rooms equipped with ceiling fans (RM30 per night), and one airconditioned
room (RM40 per night). There is also a bungalow available at a rate of RM80
per night. As in the case of the resort, guests staying at the rest house are very rare, and even
then most are not visitors to GSSP. A recent homestay operated by the local JKKK at Bt.
Jering, some 5 km away, is expected to share the same fate, due to its unenvious location,
away from the tourist zone.
Photo 4.3: Stong Resort Office
WWF-Malaysia/ N. M. Maseri
4.5 Tour Operators
Five tour and guesthouse operators organised tours to GSSP: KESEDAR Travels Sdn. Bhd.,
KB Backpacker Holidays Sdn. Bhd., KB2 Guesthouse, Lonesome Traveller, and Cerana
Guesthouse, with the most active being KESEDAR Travels Sdn. Bhd., and KB Backpacker
Holidays Sdn. Bhd.
These operators organise 3-day/2-night packages to GSSP, priced at RM220-250 per person,
with the BAT as ground operators. The tours consist of a morning bus trip to Kuala Krai,
followed by a riverboat trip to Dabong, then to GSSP, where visitors stay at Baha Camp with
food prepared by their guides.
The second day consists of a trip to the last waterfall, and after lunch, visitors return to their
huts at Baha Camp. On the third day, visitors go to Dabong for a spot of caving before
returning on the 2.00 pm local train back to Kota Bharu.
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