Johor paradise in peril? Mersing struggles as tourism boom hits reefs and locals’ wallets

MERSING, Nov 17 — Malaysia’s island paradise of Mersing is reeling as a tourism boom strains coral reefs and squeezes local incomes.

Once a quiet gateway to Tioman Island, Mersing now draws crowds to its 97 islands, with over 360,000 tourists recorded by August 2025, Singapore news outlet The Straits Times reported yesterday.

Visitors flock for island hopping, snorkelling, and views of coral gardens that earned the district the nickname “Malaysia’s Maldives”.

But the surge in tourism has come at a cost, with coral cover declining from nearly 60 per cent to 50 per cent in Reef Check Malaysia’s 2024 survey.

“Most of it can be attributed to the bleaching event in 2024, but some of it is a broader trend that reflects a range of issues including tourism pressures, coastal development, pollution,” Reef Check Malaysia chief executive Julian Hyde told the newspaper.

Six islands, including Pulau Harimau and Pulau Mensirip, have been closed for marine rehabilitation, disrupting businesses that rely on tourist visits.

“Now that it’s near the end of the year, we’ll be grounded until February doing boat maintenance when the monsoon hits – no trips, no income,” boat assistant Mohd Najib Abdul Jalik, 41, was quoted as saying.

Tour operators have had to adjust their packages, sometimes replacing popular destinations like Pulau Harimau with alternative islands such as Pulau Seri Buat.

“This overcrowding issue usually never happens,” tour operator Mohd Farez Akmal, 45, who has worked in the Mersing industry for 10 years, was quoted as saying.

The district has seen a rise in boat operators from 200 in 2023 to 355 in 2025, driven by the tourism surge and promotional campaigns like Visit Johor 2026.

Tourism is crucial for local livelihoods, but environmentalists warn that without careful management, coral reefs and communities could suffer long-term damage.

“You need tourism to sustain livelihoods. But it is important to convince communities that they need to protect ecosystems for those livelihoods to be sustainable,” Hyde was quoted as saying.