KUANTAN: Club Med Cherating, Asia's first all-inclusive resort, has temporarily closed for a major refurbishment and is scheduled to reopen in December 2027.
State Unity, Tourism and Culture Committee chairman Leong Yu Man said the resort closed after its last guests checked out on Oct 10 to make way for upgrading works.
"The refurbishment was planned some time ago, and the revamped resort will certainly give a boost to the tourism industry. It is scheduled to reopen in December next year.
"Despite its modern look, Club Med Cherating will retain its iconic wooden longhouse-on-stilts concept within the rainforest ecosystem," she said when contacted.
Leong said the resort's reopening would coincide with improved connectivity, with the Cherating East Coast Rail Link station expected to begin operations early next year. The proposed Kuantan International Airport is also nearby.
In March 2023, it was reported that discussions with investors were underway to refurbish the resort, which has been operating since 1979. No timeframe was given then.
The 300-room resort occupies an 80-hectare tropical forest site overlooking the South China Sea. The refurbishment is understood to include a new piping system and electrical rewiring.
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