Resorts World Genting, or Genting Highlands, is the go-to place for a fun weekend getaway of entertainment. With amusement parks, casinos, spectacular live shows and other fantastic tourist attractions, this is one of the top holiday destinations in Malaysia. Despite it being popular, not many are aware of its origin story.
If you are one of those who love a good history story then let’s dive into how Resorts World Genting become the iconic destination it is today. Of course, just like our previous origin stories, we’ll start with the founder, the person behind the Genting Empire, the late Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong.
Before he became a man of importance, Lim Goh Tong had a very humble beginning. He was originally born in the Fujian province of China and he was the 5th child among his siblings. Like many others, he grew up in a challenging environment during a period when China was in turmoil and unrest after the 1911 revolution. Despite all that, the future businessman was safely sheltered in his village. He very quickly became the breadwinner of his family at 16 years old after his father and older brother passed away.
Apart from quitting school to provide for his family, things in China weren’t looking so good as well. Because of this, Goh Tong decided to move to Malaysia (still known as Malaya at the time) in February 1937 when he was 19, in hopes for a better life. After a few years of working experience, the then-building sub-contractor returned to his homeland in 1940 but went back to Malaya the following year.
Sadly, there’s not much information online about what his life was like after returning to Malaya the second time. We did learn that he ventured into iron mining and then, construction. Not long after Malaysia gained its independence, Goh Tong was enjoying his day at Cameron Highlands when he had an idea about building a resort in the mountains. The eureka moment struck him when he was enjoying the view of the vast land and the cool weather in the area.
Now, the ascend begins. Following his decision-making, Goh Tong organized an expedition with his working crews to Mount Ulu Kali at a location known as Genting Sempah. Together, they explored the area and gathered information on topography, drainage, soil conditions, and other pertinent factors in order to choose the best location for the development of this dream resort in the sky.
Of course, the journey wasn’t all smooth sailing as many of his workers were doubtful of his plans, saying that he wanted to destroy the wilderness in order to build a tourist attraction. Obviously, the plan itself was risky but the soon-to-be founder was committed to making sure that the resort would blend harmoniously with the wildlife.
Apart from his workers not being 100% convinced by his ideas, Goh Tong also faced a total of 6 near-death experiences during the construction of the resort, though details of those experiences were never disclosed. Thankfully, the entrepreneur was not one to give up on his dreams. Fast forward to 1971, Genting Highlands Resort officially opened for business with then-Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman granting the first and only casino license in Malaysia to the establishment.
For the next few decades, Genting Highlands became one of the most popular holiday destinations for not only locals but foreigners as well. The iconic location was later rebranded to become known as Resorts World Genting and the theme park was renamed Genting Skyworld. Although he successfully built an empire to his name, things weren’t looking so great with Goh Tong’s family. It’s been known that there’s always been some sort of dispute over his fortune between his family members.
After the billionaire’s passing in 2007, his legacy became the centre of several legal battles between family members over his inheritance to this day. Last year, it was reported that the granddaughters of the Genting founder contested their late mother, Lim Siew Kim’s will, as they believe they are the rightful owners of her wealth. While the family drama is far from over, business resumes as usual. As of right now, we have yet to witness Genting falling into decline as it continues to reach for the stars..
Sources: RWGenting (1)(2), GentingHighlands, ChinSwee, GohTongLimGenting, Blogspot, Alvaproductions
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