Right from the start, I had full confidence in the development of Genting Highlands. But the manner and speed with which it was so transformed from my original concept was beyond my expectation. Initially, my plan was to build a 38-room hotel with some basic tourist amenities. But today what turned out is entirely different from what I had conceived some 35 years ago.

GOING BIG

In 1989, we set up Resorts World Bhd (RWB) in a major restructuring exercise to take over the management of all the tourism activities under the Genting Group. The establishment of RWB marked an important watershed in the development of the Genting Group. RWB was listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange and it took over the entire operations of Genting Highlands at the end of 1989.

To enable more people to become shareholders, RWB offered 190 million shares for public subscription at RM2.30 each, with 30% reserved for bumiputras.

RWB played a leading role in the future development of Genting Highlands. Its first move was to carry out a five-year development plan (1990-1995) with additional tourist projects costing RM2 billion. This would further enhance existing facilities.

The plan included the construction of the 821-room Resorts Hotel, the 313-room Awana Hotel and the 888-room Highlands Hotel. We also built the indoor and outdoor theme parks; the second, third and fourth staff quarters and the second and third car parks, additional water treatment plants; and environment-friendly incinerators. We are also spending another RM1 billion to build a budget hotel with 6,300 rooms.