MERSING - The Mersing Island and Reef Conservation (MIRC) remains committed to raising community awareness about coral reef life through education in schools to ensure that it continues to be protected from any activity that can damage its beauty.
Its secretary Ahmad Firdaus Shaik Omar said his team will also ensure that the 15 islands in the district will preserve their own charm to attract both local and foreign tourists.
He said apart from the role of maintaining the beauty and cleanliness of the island, MIRC and the Mersing Tourism Association (MTA) are also involved in educational aspects of the cleanliness for the entire community.
"Thus far, we have collaborated with five schools in Mersing to educate their students in terms of maintaining the cleanliness of the islands in this district which is also known as the 'Maldives of Malaysia’ and making the students little ambassadors.
"Among the activities we do is to clean the islands, especially from those that can damage the scenery, coral reefs and turtle nesting sites,” he told Bernama during the Cuti-Cuti Mersing programme held here, recently.
He added that the efforts implemented over the past three years have shown results. Besides domestic visitors, many tourists from Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei come to the islands in the district, including Pulau Rawa, Pulau Sibu, Pulau Harimau, Pulau Hujung and Pulau Tinggi.
"Tourists will be able to enjoy clean white sand, turquoise sea and a fairly clear seabed. Various activities can be done including snorkeling and scuba diving to see the beauty of coral reefs.
"Visitors also have the opportunity to swim and snorkel in the caves of Pulau Harimau,” he said, adding that visitors can also play water slides, kayak and do climbing activities as well as jungle trekking in Pulau Rawa.
He said to get to the islands, visitors can take a speed boat which takes about 30 minutes from the jetty in Mersing.
"Another interesting feature is to watch the sunrise and sunset and the beauty of the South China Sea. In fact, some souvenirs can also be brought home including fish-based crackers and various batik crafts.
"The visit to Mersing is incomplete if you do not know how Mersing got its name, and that is why a visit to the Mersing Museum is a must as there are records of history related to this district,” he said.
Mersing has five main islands, namely Pulau Sibu, Pulau Besar, Pulau Tinggi, Pulau Aur and Pulau Pemanggil. - BERNAMA