Visiting Malaysia's Marine Park islands is different from visiting other resort islands. This is because Marine Parks have a special purpose, which is to protect and conserve important marine habitats and its associated aquatic life.
However, many of Malaysia's Marine Park islands are inhabited. Thus, Marine Parks also allow activities that do not damage the coral reef and its surroundings. These include economic activities such as tourism, as well as scientific research and marine conservation efforts.
Here's what you should know before you go.
Marine Park fees
When visiting a Marine Park, visitors have to pay a marine park fee. This fee goes into the Marine Parks and Marine Reserves Trust Fund, and is intended to fund the management and maintenance of marine parks.
The fee is paid at the official Department of Fisheries' Marine Parks counter for each Marine Park. Typically, the location of this counter is at the mainland jetty for boat transfers to the Marine Parks, but it can vary.
Marine Park rules
Marine parks attract a lot of tourists because they are typically areas of outstanding biodiversity and natural beauty. However, the primary purpose of a Marine Park is to protect a portion of the marine ecosystem. Therefore, some activities normally associated with tourism are prohibited in a Marine Park. Additionally, some prohibitions apply generally in any marine environment, whether or not it's a marine park.
Tourists seeking recreational activities that are prohibited in Marine Parks can consider other beautiful islands in Malaysia which offer more activities.
Tips for how to comply with Marine Park rules!
Sometimes, it can be challenging to follow all the Marine Park rules during your visit. This may be your first Marine Park visit, or your tourism norms may be different.
The different Marine Park island communities, and the tourism businesses, are at different stages of adjusting to being a Marine Park. Change takes time; you may be offered tourism activities that don't follow these rules.
Here's what you can do:
- Prioritise tour providers and accommodations that describe their sustainability commitment. (We try our best to list responsible businesses on our maps.) They are more likely to follow Marine Park rules, so it's not all up to you!
- If you observe Marine Park rules are not followed during your tour; firstly, remember that it's ok not to join in. It is not always easy to intervene, but you can consider asking the tour leader why the activity does not follow the rules.
