Two friends' tourism venture paying off for village

GEORGE TOWN: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the shores of this country, two pals took the bold decision to quit their jobs and start an ATV extreme sports business at Pantai Esen in Batu Maung here.

Mohd Zuhair Hizami and Mohamad Hafifi Norzain, both 29, left behind their jobs as road contractors and started running a tourist attraction business in the state on July 15.

The two natives of Kampung Permatang Damar Laut then employed four village youths aged 23 to 29, who lost their jobs after the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO), and in the process their sporting venture lifted the economy of the local community by attracting tourists to the village.

"Since we grew up here, we recognised the potential of Pantai Esen for commercialisation but without the need for development which would harm the natural environment. Hence, visitors can engage in extreme ATV (all-terrain vehicles) riding while enjoying the scenic landscape on offer here.

"Truth is we have been planning to open this business for a long time. With the help of friends, we took five months to clean the area, build a track and provide basic facilities for visitors," Zuhair told Bernama when met at the Pantai Esen ATV Extreme Park here.

They run their business on the private land of one of the villagers who runs a homestay business there, thus promoting his accommodation to the visitors they attract. Part of the track was also formerly a grazing ground where Hafifi's family had been raising goats for the past decade.

Their courageous venture soon drew big gains when it caught the imagination of the Malaysian public. He said weekend bookings are already chock-full, extending till the end of next year, including slot bookings.

Hafifi said they could not accept more bookings because so far they have only 12 ATVs, 10 for the use of customers and the remaining for the use of employees.

He said the two of them shared the business start-up cost of RM60,000 with the purchase price of ATVs at about RM8,000 each, as well as costs to develop trail-riding facilities in the area.

The Pantai Esen ATV Extreme Park offers an ATV riding trail of 4 km that winds through hill slopes, mud pools, grassland, beaches and rubber plantations for one hour and 30 minutes at a fee of RM80 per person.

He added that on the drawing board are new tourist favourites like "flying fox", camp-site and other facilities like surau, office and a comfortable waiting area for visitors.

Enthusiasts who want to experience extreme ATV sports here can contact them at 019-2075587 for further information or to make a reservation.

-- BERNAMA