New beach wave

Each appears to be heeding lessons on sustainable development learnt from their predecessors…And all of them seem to have a firm idea of their identity and their niche. So coming in second has its advantages.

A new wave of beach destinations is unfurling in South-east Asia, giving outbound tour operators  much-needed fresh options as the older-generation beach haunts become tried-and-tested, visited and revisited many times over by clients.

For me, there are two special aspects of these emerging new Asian beach resorts.

First, they are neither ‘new’ nor ‘emerging’.  Names like Desaru, Langkawi, Lombok and Bintan (see our Beach Holidays guide, pages 12 to 14) can hardly be described as new. Their foray into tourism dates back to decades. However, they have all been overshadowed by the Balis and Phukets of the region. Now their time in the sun has come. Every dog has its day – even beaches.

Secondly, what’s special is each appears to be heeding lessons on sustainable development learnt from their predecessors, in terms of both the environment and the business bottomline. And all of them seem to have a firm idea of their identity and their niche. So coming in second has its advantages.

For instance, mindful that neighbouring Bali is famous for its culture and for its capacity to host MICE, Lombok’s Mandalika resort wants to differentiate itself by being an eco- and events-based destination (i.e. contemporary concerts and performances, not conferences and incentives). That’s smart. There is no way Lombok’s less colourful culture can compete with Bali’s exotic one; besides, who wants another Bali or a Bali copycat?

Langkawi shudders at the idea of building theme parks, saying ‘that’s not who we are’. Rather, what they are about is Naturally Yours. The island, blessed with age-old tropical rainforests, can be a world-class playground for adventure and eco-tourism, which is exactly the path Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) wishes to pursue. Because of limited carrying capacity, LADA is also seizing the opportunity to develop more luxury products that bring in the high-yield tourism dollar.

All these years, the four resorts have tried so hard to come into their own. The difference this time is the presence of political will and some serious backing. Take Desaru Coast, for instance, which is being developed by Destinations Hotels & Resorts (DRH). DRH is established by the Malaysian government’s investment arm, Khazanah Nasional, in 2010. Its mission is “to transform Malaysia’s tourism landscape, by delivering commercially sustainable resort destinations which fulfil the needs and desires of an increasingly discerning global tourism market”. So far, its Legoland in Nusajaya, Johor, and the way it is catalysing the development of Desaru Coast with its own luxury hotels, ocean-related theme parks, golf courses – even a hospitality school that will develop the manpower needed for these projects –  shows its mission is not a mere pipe dream.

Let’s hope all these re-emerging beach destinations in South-east Asia will turn out to be best practices that may shine a light for other virgin beach destinations in the region that may sprout up in the future.