KUALA NERUS: The Terengganu government will gazette Pulau Bidong as a state park to increase efforts to preserve and conserve the heritage, archaeology, flora and fauna on the island.
State Economic Planning Unit (Upen) director Datuk Tun Ahmad Faisal Tun Abdul Razak said the process to gazette Pulau Bidong is expected to be completed in July and an office will be built on the island for management purposes by the Terengganu State Park Management Council.
"Pulau Bidong will be Terengganu's fourth state park after the Setiu Wetland, Pulau Tenggol and Kenyir Lake.
"We hope the declaration of Pulau Bidong as a state park will elevate efforts to preserve and conserve the ecosystem and natural diversity on the island," he said during a working visit to the island.
Tun Ahmad Faisal said that Pulau Bidong is now also known as a tourism destination supervised by the Terengganu Museum Board while promotional efforts come under the Terengganu Tourism Department.
"The cooperation between these agencies and the State Park Management Council will be continued to ensure Pulau Bidong remains the top tourism location, especially among scuba diving enthusiasts," he said.
Pulau Bidong, which used to be a Vietnamese refugee camp for two decades, was first opened to tourists in January 2017.
However, this was limited to day trips only while tourists who wanted to spend the night had to obtain permission from the Terengganu Museum Board. -- Bernama