Kampung Pulau Tengah sees boom in local tourists after borders shut

KOTA BHARU: Despite the pandemic gloom with the closure of the country’s borders since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced in March, the sleepy village of Kampung Pulau Tengah, Kubang Kerian, near here, is seeing a boom in tourists.

The influx of visitors who have discovered this natural haven has given a ray of light to the residents of the traditional village.

The phenomenal change came after people became aware that it is an agro ecotourism destination where visitors could live among the quaint rural community and experience their lifestyle.

A Kampung Pulau Tengah village committee member Mohd Hishammudin Ghazali, 38, said previously only the villagers and their activities kept the place alive, however now, the natural beauty of the village has become the talk among local tourists and could attract a crowd of over 500 people during the weekends .

He said the overwhelming number of local tourists flocking to Kampung Pulau Tengah has made the village more popular as well as helped improve the villagers’ income and livelihood.

Elaborating, Mohd Hisyamuddin who also owns Mentari Bee Island said those who follow the three- kilometre river trail by boat from Kampung Pulau Tengah to Kampung Pulau Melaka would get to visit three villages, observe the local community‘s activities and enjoy the natural beauty at Sungai Pengkalan Datu.

He said currently the villagers have provided three boats which can cater to 18 passengers at one time.

“For the ride they are charged between between RM10 to RM15 each and the rides are available from 10 am to 6.30 pm daily,” he said.

“Visitors will be able to see what the local community do for a living here as they harvest the nipah palm fruits, extract the nira (juice), catch crabs, search for lokan clams and work at their fish farms,” he said when met by Bernama here recently.

With the increasing number of visitors, we plan to increase the number of boats, he added.

There is also a firefly park situated some 200 metres from Kampung Pulau Tengah which opens from 8.30 pm to 10.30 pm daily except Tuesdays and Thursdays, where the boat ride to the park ranges from RM10 to RM15.

"The forest here is well-preserved so tourists can take a deep look into nature at Kampung Pulau Tengah and have an enchanting experience watching fireflies as they take the river cruise under the moonlight,” he said.

Meanwhile to attract visitors Mohd Zaini Mat Rawi, who runs the Astacona Riverview Island Restaurant here, has created something different by offering customers the opportunity to enjoy their meal on a tree as tall as 10 metres high.

According to Mohd Zaini, 49, there used to be only about 50 customers at the restaurant which he had set up five years ago, but since the beauty of the village went viral, the increase had been alarming which could reach up to 400 a day.

"For safety reasons only two customers are allowed to enjoy the meal-on-tree experience while others are given the chance to go on the tower to enjoy the scenery from the tree top for 30 minutes for a fee of RM1.

"After news of Kampung Pulau Tengah went viral, the village traders are able to earn extra income which can be as much as RM1,000 a day,” he said thankfully.

Noor Sofea Qistina Abdul Rahman, 29, was among visitors who decided to follow the river trail passing through the one kilometre bridge crossing in the village, after she came to know about the interesting location on Facebook.

“I was thrilled to learn that there is such a place where the forests and rivers are still well-preserved. The quaint one-kilometre bridge crossing with its natural surroundings is a beauty and is enough to entice tourists to this state," she said.

-- BERNAMA