Patience Pays Off

Tycoon Robert Geneid tells Lily Ong about his two challenging decades developing Mulu National Park into the top Malaysian destination it is today—a blend of sensitive tourism and ecological preservation

Australian tycoon Robert Geneid tells of two challenging decades developing Malaysia’s Mulu National Park into the top destination it is today

It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. ROBERT GENEID LIKES TO SAY HIS QUEST TO DEVELOP A RESORT IN MALAYSIA’S MULU NATIONAL PARK WAS “AS LONG AS THE GESTATION PERIOD OF A WHALE.” BUT WHALES ARE ONLY PREGNANT FOR ABOUT 19 MONTHS; GENEID’S JOURNEY TOOK 24 YEARS. HE HAD TO COPE WITH FLOODS, JUNGLE WEATHER AND A COMPLETE LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE. WHEN THE RESORT WAS FINALLY COMPLETED, HIS MISSION WAS NOT. GENEID HAS SPENT THE PAST THREE DECADES OF HIS LIFE TURNING MULU INTO ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST ENCHANTING PARKS, A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE THAT SPANS KARST FORMATIONS, THICKLY FORESTED MOUNTAINS AND A VAST NETWORK OF OTHERWORLDLY CAVES THAT WERE ONLY EXPLORED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1980.