Genting Highlands | |
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Other transcription(s) | |
• Malay | Tanah Tinggi Genting(Rumi) تانه تيڠڬي ݢنتيڠ(Jawi) |
• Chinese | 云顶高原(Simplified) 雲頂高原(Traditional) |
• Tamil | கெந்திங் மலை |
Location of Genting Highlands in Malaysia | |
Coordinates: 3°25′25″N101°47′36″E / 3.42361°N 101.79333°E | |
Country | Malaysia |
State | Pahang |
District | Bentong |
Establishment | 1965 |
Elevation | 1,865 m (6,118 ft) |
Time zone | UTC+8 (MST) |
• Summer (DST) | Not observed |
Postcode | 69000 (Pahang) |
Genting Highlands is a hill station located on the peak of Mount Ulu Kali in the Titiwangsa Mountains, central Peninsular Malaysia, at 1800 metres elevation. Located in the state of Pahang, it was established in 1965 by the late Malaysian businessman Lim Goh Tong. The primary tourist attraction is Resorts World Genting, a hill resort where casinos and theme parks are situated and where gambling is permitted. Many of Pahang's skyscrapers can be found here.
The idea to build a hill resort near the capital city of Kuala Lumpur came from Malaysian businessman, Lim Goh Tong who was inspired by the fresh air in Cameron Highlands 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 politician Mohamad Noah Omar and successfully obtained approval for the alienation of 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) and 2,800 acres (1,100 ha) of land from the Pahang and Selangor State Government respectively between 1965 and 1970.
On 18 August 1965, a technical and construction team began to construct the access road from Genting Sempah to the peak of Mount Ulu Kali. On 31 March 1969, Tunku Abdul Rahman, 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 township. In 1971, the first hotel at Genting Highlands was completed and was named Highlands Hotel (now renamed Theme Park Hotel).
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 built in 1977 with a length of 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) and Genting Skyway cable car system built in 1997 with a length of 3.38 kilometres (2.10 mi). 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 in 1998 and First World Plaza Indoor Theme Park in 2001. [1]
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, 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, which was purchased by The Walt Disney Company, resulted in the theme park being rebranded as Genting SkyWorlds. [2] In 2019, the refurbishment of the infrastructure at the resort was completed, with the outdoor theme park being fully renovated in 2021. As of 2024, there are no further plans to renovate both the indoor and outdoor theme parks.
Genting Highlands has a springlike subtropical highland climate (Cfb), with yearly temperatures no higher than 25 °C (77 °F) and rarely falling below 10 °C (50 °F) yearly. The lowest temperature recorded at Genting Highlands is 8.4 °C (47.1 °F). The temperature during the day typically reaches around 22 °C (72 °F) and during the night, it usually drops to 12 °C (54 °F).
Climate data for Genting Highlands | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 20.3 (68.5) | 21.1 (70.0) | 22.0 (71.6) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.1 (71.8) | 21.7 (71.1) | 21.5 (70.7) | 21.4 (70.5) | 21.2 (70.2) | 21.0 (69.8) | 20.5 (68.9) | 21.5 (70.6) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 16.0 (60.8) | 16.5 (61.7) | 17.1 (62.8) | 17.7 (63.9) | 17.8 (64.0) | 17.6 (63.7) | 17.1 (62.8) | 17.0 (62.6) | 17.0 (62.6) | 17.0 (62.6) | 16.9 (62.4) | 16.4 (61.5) | 17.0 (62.6) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 11.8 (53.2) | 12.0 (53.6) | 12.3 (54.1) | 13.1 (55.6) | 13.3 (55.9) | 13.1 (55.6) | 12.5 (54.5) | 12.6 (54.7) | 12.7 (54.9) | 12.9 (55.2) | 12.8 (55.0) | 12.3 (54.1) | 12.6 (54.7) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 250 (9.8) | 165 (6.5) | 232 (9.1) | 259 (10.2) | 203 (8.0) | 112 (4.4) | 103 (4.1) | 120 (4.7) | 173 (6.8) | 258 (10.2) | 310 (12.2) | 278 (10.9) | 2,463 (96.9) |
Source: Climate data.org |
Resorts World Genting | |
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Address | Resorts World Genting, 69000 Genting Highlands, Bentong, Pahang, Malaysia |
Opening date | 27 April 1965 |
No. of rooms | 10,466 (7 hotels) |
Total gaming space | Over 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m2) |
Signature attractions | First World Plaza SkyAvenue Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park Genting SkyWorlds Genting Premium Outlets |
Notable restaurants | The Laughing Fish by Harry Ramsden Burger & Lobster Cafés Richard Coffee Terrace La Fiesta e18hteen LTITUDE Malaysian Food Street Motorino The Olive |
Owner | Genting Group (Genting Malaysia Berhad) |
Renovated in | Genting Integrated Tourism Plan (2013–present) |
Website | www.rwgenting.com |
Resorts World Genting (Abbreviation: RWG), originally known as Genting Highlands Resort, is an integrated hill resort owned by Genting Group through subsidiary Genting Malaysia Berhad which comprises hotels, shopping malls, theme parks and casinos. It is the main attraction of the hill station, located within the Pahang section of the area.
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. [3]
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. [4]
Hotel name | Launch date | Description | Star rating | No. of rooms | Ref |
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Genting SkyWorlds Hotel | 1971 (Reopened in 2017) | Formerly known as Theme Park Hotel, it is the first hotel to open in Genting Highlands and sits opposite the outdoor theme park. The hotel's Valley Wings section is connected to the main section via a walk bridge. | 3-star | 448 | [5] |
Genting Grand Hotel | 1981 | It was known as Genting Hotel, and then later, Maxims before Highlands Hotel took the name. The building is known for the huge "Genting" logo on its rooftop, which can be seen from as far as Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya (over 70 km away) on a clear day. It was made in a "Y" shape. It houses the Genting Casino as well as Genting Grand Complex. | 5-star | 422 | [6] |
Awana | 1984 | Situated approximately 4 km before reaching Resorts World Genting, Awana is a resort hotel with a golf course, swimming pool, and other sports facilities. | 4-star | 413 | [7] |
Resort Hotel | 1992 | The hotel is a long white tower that faces the Theme Park Hotel and is the main entrance to the 20th Century Fox World. One of the entry points to Genting Casino. | 3-star | 900 | [8] |
Highlands Hotel | 1997 | Initially opened as Highlands Hotel, the hotel was refurbished into Maxims in 2015 but reverted to its original name in September 2020. It houses the upper station of Genting Skyway. | 4-star | 795 | [9] |
First World Hotel | Tower 1 (2001), Tower 2 (2006), Tower 2A (2014) | First World Hotel, with its two very noticeable multi-coloured towers, was the largest hotel in the world until 2008 but regained the title in 2015 with the completion of Tower 2A. | 3-star | 7,351 | [10] |
Crockfords | 2017 | Initially occupying Maxims' upper floors, it was relocated to Sky Avenue's upper floors next to SkyCasino and First World Hotel. Opened on 27 Nov 2017, the hotel was awarded Forbes Travel Guide 5-Star Hotel in Malaysia for 2019 & 2020, being the only hotel in Malaysia to receive the accreditation. | 5-star | 138 | [6] |
There are currently three theme parks at Resort World Genting, Genting SkyWorlds (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. [11] [12] [13] It was closed on 1 September 2013 to make way for the construction of world's first 20th Century Fox World. [14] However, due to disputes between Genting Malaysia Berhad, Fox Entertainment Group and The Walt Disney Company over the theme park after the purchase of 20th Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company, [15] Genting and Walt Disney filed civil suits over each other. On 26 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. [16] Genting Skyworlds was planned to open in June 2021 after completion was delayed from 2016 to 2018 and then to 2020. [17] However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, construction work had to be closed down and the opening date was postponed, although works have been mostly completed. On February 8, 2022, Genting SkyWorlds began to hold soft openings.
First World Plaza 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 attraction, which officially opened on 6 December 2018 on a 7,000 sq ft (650 m2) section of Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park. [18]
On 14 June 2024, a fire broke out at the Genting SkyWorlds. More than 5,000 people evacuated to safer locations and yet there were no casualties. The fire started at the second floor before spreading to the fourth floor. [19] [20] [21]
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 – Vision City Video Games Park. [22]
Resorts World Genting is the only legal land-based casino area in the country. SkyCasino located in SkyAvenue Mall is the only casino that remains in operation in Malaysia. The much older, Genting Casino, was temporarily closed in early 2024 to facilitate renovations and upgrading works. [23] [24] [25]
There are currently five shopping malls at the resort, Awana Sky Central, [6] First World Plaza, [6] Genting Highlands Premium Outlets, [26] SkyAvenue, [6] and Genting Grand Complex. [27] 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.
In 2015, Genting Hong Kong Limited, a part of the Genting Group, purchased the Singaporean nightlife brand Zouk. At this time, Zouk already had a second outlet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 2019, Zouk opened its third outlet in Resorts World Genting. This Genting outlet of Zouk features the main Empire Nightclub, FUHU Dining (a Chinese-themed restaurant), and RedTail Bar (consisting of a games bar, a sports bar and a karaoke section).
Zouk continued its close collaboration with the Resorts World brand by subsequently opening another outlet inside Resorts World Las Vegas in 2022.
The resort has two performance venues and a cineplex.
Resorts World Genting has hosted several events such as awards ceremonies, concerts, and competitions over the years which are:
Other tourist attractions at Genting Highlands are Chin Swee Caves Temple - the sole Buddhist temple named after Ancient Chinese monk Qingshui, [29] Mohamed Noah Foundation Mosque - 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, [30] two agricultural centres Mini Cameron Highlands and Genting Strawberry Leisure Farms and sole apiary and insectarium - Happy Bee Farm, Insect World and Butterfly Wonderland. [31] [32] [33] [34]
At the federal level, Genting Highlands is part of the Bentong parliamentary constituency in Pahang, currently represented by DAP's Young Syefura Othman, and the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency in Selangor, currently represented by Mohd Hasnizan Harun of PAS.
On the state level, Genting Highlands falls under the Ketari constituency of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly, currently held by Su Keong Siong of the DAP, and the Batang Kali constituency of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly, currently held by Harumaini Omar of PEJUANG.
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. [35] [36]
Zouk is a Singaporean nightclub located in the Clarke Quay district. Opened in 1991, the brand has since expanded to various cities around Asia and North America. One of the country's most prominent nightclubs, it has won the Singapore Tourism Board's "Best Nightspot Experience" award 6 times, between 1996 and 2007. Zouk was ranked number 10 on DJ Magazine's list of Top 100 clubs in the world in 2006, 2007 and 2010. In 2017, Zouk Singapore earned its highest ranking yet at number 3, the top entry for clubs across Asia. In 2021, Zouk Singapore was ranked number 11 while Zouk KL was ranked 33 on the DJ Mag Top 100 Clubs list in the world.
The Titiwangsa Mountains, also known as Banjaran Besar by locals, is the chain of mountains that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula. The northern section of the range is in southern Thailand, where it is known as the Sankalakhiri Range.
Lim Goh Tong was a prominent wealthy Malaysian Chinese businessman & entrepreneur. He was renowned for transforming Genting Highlands from an unexplored hilltop into one of the world's most successful casino resorts. He was once the richest man in Malaysia with a net worth of US$4.2billion
The Genting Group is headquartered in Wisma Genting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Group comprises the holding company Genting Berhad, its listed subsidiaries Genting Malaysia Berhad, Genting Plantations Berhad, Genting Singapore Plc, as well as its wholly owned subsidiary Genting Energy Limited.
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 of Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Sabak Bernam district to the northwest, Kuala Selangor district to its southwest and Gombak district to the south. Selangor River sources from this area, hence giving the district's name.
The Federal Route 2 is a major east–west oriented federal highway in Malaysia. The 276.9 kilometres (172 mi) road connects Port Klang in Selangor to Kuantan Port in Pahang. The Federal Route 2 became the backbone of the road system linking the east and west coasts of Peninsula Malaysia before being surpassed by the East Coast Expressway E8.
Bukit Tinggi is a small town in Bentong District, Pahang, Malaysia. This small town is located along Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway, notable for luring visitors coming from Genting Highlands. The town features a French-themed village, Colmar Tropicale.
Federal Route 68, also known as Jalan Gombak or Jalan Karak Lama, is a federal road in Malaysia that links the city of Kuala Lumpur to Bentong, Pahang. Before Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway E8/FT2 was built, the road was used to be a part of Kuala Lumpur–Kuantan Road FT2; however, due to its sharp corners, narrow roadway and lack of safety features, a replacement highway known as the Kuala Lumpur–Karak Highway FT2 was built, causing the former Kuala Lumpur–Bentong section to be re-gazetted as the Federal Route 68.
Mohamed Noah bin Omar was a Malaysian politician. He was one of the leading figures who founded the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and became the party’s first chairperson. He also served as the first Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat.
The Genting Sempah–Genting Highlands Highway is the main highway from Genting Sempah to Genting Highlands, Malaysia, a mountain resort and entertainment park. This is a private highway owned by Genting Berhad. The speed limit of the highway is 50 km/h (31 mph).
Tourism in Malaysia is a major industry and contributor to the Malaysian economy. Malaysia was once ranked 9th in the world for tourist arrivals. In 2017, the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked Malaysia 26 out of 141 countries using its Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) which measures the various components and policies of a country that are in place to allow for the sustainable development of its travel and tourism sectors.
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-star hotel and a plaza. First World Hotel, Resorts Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Genting Malaysia Berhad and Genting Group manages the property. It was opened on 26 July 2002 by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
The Highlands Hotel, formerly known as Maxims Genting between 2015 and 2020, is one of the seven accommodations in Genting Highlands, Ulu Selangor, Selangor, Malaysia.
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 51 kilometres (32 mi) northeast of Kuala Lumpur, comprises a 5-storey station building and a 10-storey car park while its upper station is located at the Highlands Hotel. It was opened to the public on 1 February 1997 and officially opened by the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad on 21 February 1997.
Genting Malaysia Berhad, commonly known as Genting Malaysia, 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 gaming, hotel and resort-related operations inclusive of goodwill and other relevant assets. Resorts World Bhd is the subsidiary company of Genting Bhd under the leisure and hospitality division. Basically it manages everything at Genting Highlands except First World Hotel and First World Plaza, which are under First World Hotel & Resort Sdn Bhd.
The Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway East Coast Expressway is a 60-kilometre (37 mi) interstate controlled-access highway in Peninsular Malaysia. It runs between the town of Gombak in Selangor to the southwest and Karak in Pahang to the northeast. The expressway was previously a single-carriageway trunk road forming part of federal route 2; this designation has been kept after the upgrade in 1997. It shares its designation with the East Coast Expressway proper that succeeds it.
Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay is a Malaysian Chinese billionaire businessman. He is the chairman of Genting Group, a casinos, resorts and palm oil conglomerate with a market capitalization of almost MYR40 billion, and the second son of fellow billionaire Lim Goh Tong, the company's founder.
Genting SkyWorlds is an amusement park at Resorts World Genting, Genting Highlands, Malaysia. It was originally titled 20th Century Fox World Malaysia during its development, as a planned movie inspired theme park project by 20th Century Fox, but the studio initially pulled out of its licensing deal amid the transitional period of Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox.
Bentong District is a district located in western Pahang, Malaysia. Bentong covers an area of 1,831 km2 and includes the hill resorts of Genting Highlands and Bukit Tinggi. It is located 80 km northeast of Kuala Lumpur, just across the main range, Titiwangsa Mountains. Bentong Town is the seat of the district. The district of Bentong is also further divided into 3 mukims (sub-districts), they are Bentong, Sabai and Pelabgai. The original Main Street going into Bentong Town has been modified to a dual carriageway. It is bordered by Selangor on the west and Negeri Sembilan on the south.