Genting Highlands is a
hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia (particularly in India), but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges ...
located on the peak of Mount Ulu Kali in the
Titiwangsa Mountains
The Titiwangsa Mountains (Malay: ''Banjaran Titiwangsa,'' بنجرن تيتيوڠسا, ), also known as ''"Banjaran Besar"'' (Big Range) by locals, is the chain of mountains that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula.
The northern section of ...
, central
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...
, at 1,800 metres elevation. Located in the state of
Pahang
Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...
. It was established in 1965 by the late Chinese businessman
Lim Goh Tong
Lim Goh Tong (; 28 February 1918 – 23 October 2007) was a prominent wealthy Malaysian Chinese businessman & entrepreneur. He was renowned for his transforming Genting Highlands from an unexplored hilltop into one of the world's most successfu ...
. The primary tourist attraction is Resorts World Genting, a hill resort where casinos and theme parks are situated and gambling is allowed.
History
![Genting 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Genting_01.jpg)
The idea to build a hill resort near the capital city of
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, su ...
came from a late Malaysian Chinese businessman,
Lim Goh Tong
Lim Goh Tong (; 28 February 1918 – 23 October 2007) was a prominent wealthy Malaysian Chinese businessman & entrepreneur. He was renowned for his transforming Genting Highlands from an unexplored hilltop into one of the world's most successfu ...
who was inspired by the fresh air in
Cameron Highlands
The Cameron Highlands ( ms, Tanah Tinggi Cameron, , ta, கேமரன் மலை) is a district in Pahang, Malaysia, occupying an area of . To the north, its boundary touches that of Kelantan; to the west, it shares part of its border with ...
during his business trip there in 1963 for a hydroelectric power project. The rationale was that Cameron Highlands was too far away from Kuala Lumpur, and therefore building a mountain resort nearer to Kuala Lumpur would have excellent business potential. After researching Kuala Lumpur's maps and surrounding areas, Lim identified Mount Ulu Kali in Genting Sempah, 58 km from Kuala Lumpur, to be ideal for his plan. He set up a private company called Genting Highlands Berhad (now Genting Group) on 27 April 1965 with the late politician
Mohamad Noah Omar
Mohamed Noah bin Omar ( Jawi: محمد نوح بن عمر; 13 August 1897 – 6 September 1991) was a Malaysian politician. He was one of the leading figures who founded the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and became the first S ...
and successfully obtained approval for the alienation of and of land from the Pahang State Government respectively between 1965 and 1970.
On 18 August 1965, a technical and construction team began to construct the
access road
A frontage road (also known as an access road, outer road, service road, feeder road, or parallel road) is a local road running parallel to a higher-speed, limited-access road. A frontage road is often used to provide access to private drivew ...
from Genting Sempah to the peak of Mount Ulu Kali. On 31 March 1969, the late
Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah ( ms, تونكو عبد الرحمن ڤوترا الحاج ابن سلطان عبد الحميد حليم شاه, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 8 Febru ...
, Malaysia's first prime minister, laid the foundation stone for the company's pioneer hotel, marking the completion of the access road to Genting Highlands Resort. The resort was also granted the casino license the same year by the Malaysian government to develop its gambling industry. An area midway to the peak was turned into the
Gohtong Jaya
Gohtong Jaya () is a service township of Genting Highlands named after Lim Goh Tong, the founder of Genting Group and Genting Highlands himself. It has several facilities such as hotels (including one Hotel Seri Malaysia branch), restaurants, sh ...
township. In 1971, the first hotel at Genting Highlands was completed and was named Highlands Hotel (now renamed Theme Park Hotel).
![Genting Grand Hotel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Genting_Grand_Hotel.jpg)
Since then, Genting Highlands Resort has expanded, with six more hotels being built within 2017. They are Genting Hotel (renamed Genting Grand, 1981), Awana (1984), Resort Hotel (1992), Highlands Hotel (1997), First World Hotel (2001), and Crockfords (2017). Two cable car systems were built to provide transport to the hilltop:
Awana Skyway
The Awana Skyway, also referred to as the new Awana Skyway (ca. 2016), is a gondola lift system connecting Awana Transport Hub, Chin Swee Temple and SkyAvenue in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia since December 2016. The Awana Transport Hub te ...
built in 1977 with a length of and
Genting Skyway
Genting Skyway is a gondola lift connecting Gohtong Jaya and Resort Hotel in Genting Highlands, Selangor, Malaysia. Its lower station at Gohtong Jaya township, located approximately northeast of Kuala Lumpur, comprises a 5-storey station buildin ...
cable car system built in 1997 with a length of . The resort ventured into the amusement park and entertainment industry by launching the Genting Grand Indoor Theme Park in 1992, Genting Outdoor Theme Park in 1994,
Arena of Stars
Arena of Stars is a 45,000 square feet musical amphitheater in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia, built in 1998. The hall has a capacity of about 6,000 seats. It is also known for its famous World and National lion dance and dragon dance compe ...
in 1998 and
First World Plaza
First World Hotel & Plaza is a hotel, shopping and entertainment complex located at Resorts World Genting in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia which consists of a 3.3-star out of 5 for cleanliness hotel and a plaza. First World Hotel, Resorts ...
Indoor Theme Park in 2001.
In 2013, Genting Group implemented a 10-year master plan named Genting Integrated Tourism Plan (GITP) to develop, expand, enhance and refurbish hotels, theme parks, and infrastructure at Genting Highlands. The project with different phases involves a new 1,300 rooms hotel expansion to the current
First World Hotel
First World Hotel & Plaza is a hotel, shopping and entertainment complex located at Resorts World Genting in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia which consists of a 3.3-star out of 5 for cleanliness hotel and a plaza. First World Hotel, Resort ...
, a new 10,000 seats arena, renovation of the
First World Plaza Indoor Theme Park, and reconverting the Genting Outdoor Theme Park to
20th Century Fox World. A dispute with
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
, which was purchased by
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
, resulted in the theme park being rebranded as
Genting SkyWorlds
Genting SkyWorlds is an amusement park at Resorts World Genting, Genting Highlands, Malaysia. It was formerly known as 20th Century Fox World Malaysia, a movie inspired theme park project by 20th Century Fox, but had pulled out its licensing de ...
. In 2019, the refurbishment of the infrastructure at the resort has been completed, with only the outdoor theme park still being renovated and expected to be completed in early 2021.
Climate
Genting Highlands has a springlike
subtropical highland climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
(Cfb), with yearly temperatures no higher than and rarely falling below yearly. The lowest temperature recorded at Genting Highlands is . The temperature during the day typically reaches around and during the night, it usually drops to .
Attractions
Resorts World Genting
Resorts World Genting (
Abbreviation
An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...
: RWG), originally known as Genting Highlands Resort, is an
integrated hill resort owned by
Genting Group
The Genting Group is a company headquartered in the Wisma Genting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It comprises the holding company Genting Berhad (), its listed subsidiaries Genting Malaysia Berhad (), Genting Plantations Berhad (), Genting Singapore ...
through subsidiary
Genting Malaysia Berhad
Genting Malaysia Berhad () started in 1980 in Malaysia. In 1989, Genting Group and Resorts World Bhd underwent a restructuring exercise, which resulted in Resorts World Bhd acquiring from Genting Group of its entire Gambling, gaming, hotel and re ...
which comprising hotels, shopping malls, theme parks and casinos. It is the main attraction of the hill station, located within the Pahang section of the area.
Accommodations
![Genting-Highlands Malaysia First-World-Hotel-01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Genting-Highlands_Malaysia_First-World-Hotel-01.jpg)
Resorts World Genting has seven hotels, with one of them being a leisure resort. One of the seven accommodations, First World Hotel, held the Guinness World Record as the largest hotel globally from 2006 until 2008 and regained the title in 2015 with 7,351 rooms following Tower 2A. In 2018,
Forbes Travel Guide Star Ratings awarded 4-star rating and 'recommended' citation to Genting Grand and Maxims respectively.
![Genting_Highlands_-_High_Line_Roof_Top_Market](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Genting_Highlands_-_High_Line_Roof_Top_Market.jpg)
Crockfords at Resorts World Genting was awarded the 5-star rating in 2019 & 2020, making it the first and only hotel in Malaysia to achieve this award.
Theme parks
![Genting-Highlands Malaysia Chin-Swee-Caves-Temple-02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Genting-Highlands_Malaysia_Chin-Swee-Caves-Temple-02.jpg)
There are currently three theme parks at Resort World Genting,
Genting SkyWorlds
Genting SkyWorlds is an amusement park at Resorts World Genting, Genting Highlands, Malaysia. It was formerly known as 20th Century Fox World Malaysia, a movie inspired theme park project by 20th Century Fox, but had pulled out its licensing de ...
(formerly Genting Outdoor Theme Park), Skytropolis Funland (formerly First World Plaza Indoor Theme Park) and Genting Grand Indoor Theme Park. Genting Outdoor Theme Park was opened in 1994 with 31 rides at its peak, including a
monorail service. It was closed on 1 September 2013 to make way for the construction of world's first
20th Century Fox World. However, due to disputes between
Genting Malaysia Berhad
Genting Malaysia Berhad () started in 1980 in Malaysia. In 1989, Genting Group and Resorts World Bhd underwent a restructuring exercise, which resulted in Resorts World Bhd acquiring from Genting Group of its entire Gambling, gaming, hotel and re ...
,
Fox Entertainment Group
Fox Entertainment Group was an American entertainment company specialised in filmed entertainment owned by 21st Century Fox. Following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the group's assets were folded into various Disney units. Th ...
and
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
over the theme park after the purchase of
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
by The Walt Disney Company, Genting and Walt Disney filed civil suits over each other. On the 26th of July 2019, following an agreement between Disney and Fox which granted Genting Malaysia Berhad a license to utilise certain Fox intellectual properties, the theme park was eventually rebranded as
Genting SkyWorlds
Genting SkyWorlds is an amusement park at Resorts World Genting, Genting Highlands, Malaysia. It was formerly known as 20th Century Fox World Malaysia, a movie inspired theme park project by 20th Century Fox, but had pulled out its licensing de ...
. Genting Skyworlds is expected to open in June 2021 after completion was delayed from 2016 to 2018 and then to 2020. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, construction works had to be closed down and the opening date was postponed, but no definite date has been given on the new opening date, although works have been mostly completed. In March 2022,
Genting SkyWorlds
Genting SkyWorlds is an amusement park at Resorts World Genting, Genting Highlands, Malaysia. It was formerly known as 20th Century Fox World Malaysia, a movie inspired theme park project by 20th Century Fox, but had pulled out its licensing de ...
is finally open to public for its soft launching, official launch date is yet to confirm.
First World Plaza
First World Hotel & Plaza is a hotel, shopping and entertainment complex located at Resorts World Genting in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia which consists of a 3.3-star out of 5 for cleanliness hotel and a plaza. First World Hotel, Resorts ...
Indoor Theme Park was opened in 2001 with 12 rides at its peak and was closed from June 2017 to February 2018 for refurbishment. On 8 December 2018, it was opened to the public and rebranded as Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park, with some attractions mimicking older attractions of the former indoor and outdoor theme parks. The theme park also included the first Asian branch of VOID, a US-based operator of unique fully
immersive virtual reality
Immersion into virtual reality (VR) is a perception of being physically present in a non-physical world. The perception is created by surrounding the user of the VR system in images, sound or other stimuli that provide an engrossing total enviro ...
attraction, which officially opened on 6 December 2018 on a section of Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park.
Genting Grand Indoor Theme Park was opened in 1992, located at the lower floor of Genting Grand Hotel and consists of two children rides and one
amusement arcade
An amusement arcade (often referred to as a video arcade, amusements or simply arcade) is a venue where people play arcade games, including arcade video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers (such as cl ...
– Vision City Video Games Park.
Casino
Resorts World Genting is the only legal land-based casino area in the country. There are two main casino outlets in the resort, Genting Casino in Genting Grand Complex and SkyCasino in SkyAvenue Mall.
Shopping malls
There are currently five shopping malls at the resort, Awana Sky Central,
First World Plaza
First World Hotel & Plaza is a hotel, shopping and entertainment complex located at Resorts World Genting in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia which consists of a 3.3-star out of 5 for cleanliness hotel and a plaza. First World Hotel, Resorts ...
,
Genting Highlands Premium Outlets, SkyAvenue,
and Genting Grand Complex. Two shopping malls, Awana SkyCentral and Genting Highlands Premium Outlet, is near Gohtong Jaya and are connected by two link bridges. The three remaining malls are situated at the mountain top.
Amenities
The resort has two performance venues and a cineplex.
*
Arena of Stars
Arena of Stars is a 45,000 square feet musical amphitheater in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia, built in 1998. The hall has a capacity of about 6,000 seats. It is also known for its famous World and National lion dance and dragon dance compe ...
is a concert hall with a capacity of 5,132 seats.
* Genting International Showroom is a multimedia entertainment venue with up to 1,000 seating capacity.
* Bona Cinemas at SkyAvenue is their first outlet outside China. The cinema consists of 6 cinema halls equipped with
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horizontal, nor verti ...
sound systems and
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme F ...
halls.
Events
Resorts World Genting has hosted several events over the years, such as awards ceremonies, concerts, and competitions which are:
*
Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian
''Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian'' (literally: "Popular Star Award"), commonly known by the acronym ABPBH, originally named as ''Anugerah Pelakon/Penyanyi Popular - Nescafe Classic'', is an award presented annually by Berita Harian of Ma ...
*
ESL One Genting 2017
* Genting World Lion Dance Championship
*
IIFA Awards
The International Indian Film Academy Awards, popularly known as IIFA, is an annual awards ceremony for Bollywood. Produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the winners of the awards are decided by fans, who vote online for th ...
2002
*
Malaysian Idol
''Malaysian Idol'' is the Malaysian version of the Idol Series that started in UK, similar to shows such as UK's ''Pop Idol'' and ''American Idol'' in the franchise. This show is a contest to determine the best young singer in Malaysia, with th ...
* Malaysia National Lion Dance Championship
*
MTV Asia Awards
The MTV Asia Awards was the Asian equivalent of the European MTV EMA. Held from 2002 to 2008, the show gave recognition and awards to Asian and international artists in achievement, cinema, fashion, humanitarian, and music. Just like the EMAs, most ...
2008
* My Astro Music Awards
*
Star Idol Malaysia
*
Tour de Langkawi
The Tour de Langkawi is a multiple stage bicycle race held in Malaysia. It is named after the archipelago Langkawi, where the first edition started and finished. The race has been held annually since 1996, primarily in February. It usually con ...
(Finishing line of climb stage)
Other attractions
![Tan Sri (Dr) Lim Goh Tong Memorial Hall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Tan_Sri_%28Dr%29_Lim_Goh_Tong_Memorial_Hall.jpg)
Other tourist attractions at Genting Highlands are
Chin Swee Caves Temple
The Chin Swee Caves Temple ( zh, 清水岩庙) is a Chinese temple in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia. It is situated in the most scenic site of Genting Highlands, on a 28-acre plot of rocky forested land donated by Genting Group founder th ...
- the sole Buddhist temple named after Ancient Chinese monk
Qingshui,
Mohamed Noah Foundation Mosque
The Mohamed Noah Foundation Mosque ( ms, Masjid Yayasan Mohamed Noah) is the only mosque in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of S ...
- the sole mosque named after late politician and co-founder of Genting Group Mohamed Noah Omar, Gohtong Memorial Park - memorial and cemetery of the late founder Lim Goh Tong, two agricultural centres Mini Cameron Highlands and Genting Strawberry Leisure Farms and sole apiary and insectarium - Happy Bee Farm, Insect World and Butterfly Wonderland.
Government and politics
At the federal level, Genting Highlands is part of the
Bentong
Bentong (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ﺑﻨﺘﻮڠ), the seat of Bentong District, is a town located in western Pahang, Malaysia, at the border with the state of Selangor in the west and the state of Negeri Sembilan in the south.
Government
Benton ...
parliamentary constituency in Pahang, currently represented by DAP's
Young Syefura Othman
Yang Berhormat Young Syefura Othman (born 10 November 1989), nicknamed Rara, is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bentong since November 2022. She served as Member of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly ...
, and the
Hulu Selangor
Hulu Selangor is a district in Selangor, Malaysia. It contains the towns of Serendah, Batang Kali and Kuala Kubu Bharu. Its principal town is Kuala Kubu Bharu. The district is located in the northeastern part of Selangor and borders the state ...
parliamentary constituency in Selangor, currently represented by
June Leow on a
PKR ticket.
On the state level, Genting Highlands falls under the
Ketari
Ketari is a small town in Bentong District, Pahang, Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea ...
constituency of the
Pahang State Legislative Assembly
The Pahang State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Pahang) is the unicameral state legislature of the Malaysian state of Pahang. It is composed of 42 members representing single-member constituencies throughout the state.
The Asse ...
, currently held by Su Keong Siong of the
DAP
DAP or Dap may refer to:
Science
* DAP (gene), human gene that encodes death-associated proteins, which mediate programmed cell death
* Diamidophosphate, phosphorylating compound
* Diaminopimelic acid, amino acid derivative of lysine
* Diamin ...
, and the
Batang Kali
Batang Kali is a city and mukim in Hulu Selangor District, Selangor, Malaysia. The city is designated as a transit point to Genting Highlands, a renowned resort city. Originally just a small town gaining traction due to the development of Liga ...
constituency of the
Selangor State Legislative Assembly
The Selangor State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Negeri Selangor) is the unicameral state legislature of the Malaysian state of Selangor. The State Assembly is composed of 56 members representing single-member constituencies throughout the sta ...
, currently held by Harumaini Omar of
PEJUANG
The Homeland Fighters' Party ( ms, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air, Jawi: ڤرتي ڤجواڠ تانه اير, PEJUANG) is a Malay-based political party of Malaysia, formed in August 2020 by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Moh ...
.
Genting Highlands falls within the municipal boundaries of the Bentong Municipal Council (''Majlis Perbandaran Bentong'') and the Hulu Selangor Municipal Council (''Majlis Perbandaran Hulu Selangor''). Since 2020, Genting Highlands has also been an autonomous sub-district (''daerah kecil'') within Bentong District.
References
External links
Genting Highlands Information Website
{{Coord, 3.42368, 101.79335, format=dms, display=title
Resorts in Malaysia
Casinos in Malaysia
Casinos completed in 1995
Amusement parks in Malaysia
Hill stations in Malaysia
Tourist attractions in Pahang
Populated places in Pahang
Towns in Pahang
Buildings and structures in Pahang
Titiwangsa Mountains