Being the first physical site study I have done for two years, the idea of heading into a remote coastal town sets an inspiring mind set into me. To think of the potential this town might have, the thought of scenic beaches and lively night life gave wondrous ideas for future designs. But after a brief sojourn in Johor’s coastal town named Mersing, it seems to be a placid mundane town with so much hidden potential yet is held back by its own tourism infrastructure.
Going through online articles and evidence, it seems most of the claims of Mersing being a quiet town was true. During our first visit of Mersing’s town center it seemed surprisingly bustling with busy cars and an abundance of shophouses that were selling most common modern items and foods such as Zus Coffee, Dominos and even KFC. It even has its own independent cafes that have readily baked pastries and served warm coffee. But even with how busy the town seemed, most shops tend to be very laid back. As someone who has been used to a city life Mersing’s town seemed to be a busy town with the amount of vehicles roaming around but is actually a peaceful and quiet place with most locals being accustomed to this lifestyle.
Locals here describe Mersing as a peaceful and quiet town with its main attraction but the islands across the sea for tourism. The demographic of locals in Mersing here consist of fishermen who are possibly the very few that have been born in Mersing, the newly locals who have either decided to stay or work in Mersing and the occasional tourist who rush in only to use Mersing as a transit hub to the scenic islands. Pulau Rawa and Tioman are the one of the most popular reasons why people even visit Mersing as tourism is the strong point of the town and fishing has slowly been taken as a difficult career to approach in the town. Mersing’s island tourism often overshadows the mainland both in development and image. Hotels in Mersing’s mainland are often abandoned and rundown while 4 star resorts in Pulau Rawa provide an experience that could be described as “Maldives in Malaysia”.
There is an obvious difference between the mainland and the islands of Mersing with its treatment and profits. More effort to tourism of the islands often leads for locals in mainland to suffer as prices for rent and essentials get higher. Besides than the economy issue, locals are pleading for development for the mainland town. Most projects in Mersing seem ambitious but tends to stop dead in its tracks as it either does not meet with its intended purpose or a change of position from the higher ups occurs. This leads Mersing’s mainland in an almost perpetual state of slow development and stays as the boring town with hidden potential.
Even with the issues that I have encountered with Mersing, the town and its locals show that Mersing has more to offer than its island tourism. The locals are friendly and the food is an underrated gem in Johor. That inspiring design motivation still spurs in me and I hope what I will propose for this placid yet peaceful town will be meaningful.
Leave a Reply