Introduction
Tioman (Malay: Pulau Tioman) is a small island, 39 km long and 12 km wide, located off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia.
Tioman's beaches were depicted in the 1958 movie South Pacific as "Bali Hai". In the 1970s, Time magazine selected Tioman as one of the world’s most beautiful islands. The densely forested island is still sparsely inhabited. Also it is surrounded by numerous white coral reefs, making it a haven for scuba divers from around the region.
Already the most commercially developed of Malaysia's eastern islands, a controversial RM 40 million marina project for Kampung Tekek, complete with 175-meter cargo jetty, now threatens to speed up the pace of development on Tioman considerably. The marina is finished and the jetty is under construction. However, visitors with an aversion to such progress can avoid this part of the island and stay elsewhere without any impact.
Rubbish control on the island is nil, apart from certain better resorts. So you must expect to share otherwise beautiful areas with all manner of garbage. The island fathers haven't worked out that a large sustained effort could remove the vast quantitiies of rubbish strewn everywhere.
Of potential great value to those visiting Tioman is the cheap alcohol as Tioman is a duty-free island. Most of the duty-free shops can be found in Tekek (turn left after arriving at the airport and walk 200m)