I recently spent two days at Oakwood Cameron Highlands conducting a session on commercial leadership with the Ascott Malaysia leadership team.
It was another opportunity for me to share real-life experiences I have picked up over the years in the hotel industry, particularly around a subject I feel strongly about: How hotel leaders can learn to think more like owners. I enjoyed the sessions very much. They were interactive, open and engaging.
Ascott has a strong leadership team, and I always appreciate an organisation that continues to invest in developing its people, not only in operational skills but also in how they think commercially.
While I was there, I also kept thinking about Cameron Highlands itself. The temperature was slightly below 20ºC. The air was cool and the sky was beautifully clear. Coming from Kuala Lumpur, where the haze seems to be getting worse, being outdoors in Cameron Highlands felt wonderful.
I found myself asking, "Have we done enough to promote Cameron Highlands as a top-tier tourist attraction?"
Many tourism destinations around the world spend a lot of money trying to create a reason for people visit and Cameran Highlands has its own: The weather.
You cannot manufacture a cool mountain climate in Malaysia. You cannot build it, import or recreate it through clever marketing. It is God-given. And alongside this nice weather are the tea plantations, farms, greenery, hills and more.
According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, Cameron Highlands was the most visited destination in Pahang among domestic tourists in 2024. So clearly, people already know Cameron Highlands.
Perhaps the bigger question is: What do people actually experience when they visit? What is the Cameron Highlands of tomorrow supposed to be? Is it simply a place where Malaysians drive up to enjoy a steamboat, eat strawberries, drink tea, buy vegetables and then head home? Or could it become something much more?
Could Cameron Highlands become Malaysia's genuine highland lifestyle destination? A place where people come not only to escape the heat, but where they actually want to spend three or four days in? Could there be better walking areas, cafes, restaurants, local experiences, wellness retreats, markets, outdoor activities and events?
Could Cameron Highlands become an attractive addition to the itinerary of international travellers who have already spent several days in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi in Kedah or at any of our other islands?
What exactly is Cameron Highlands' identity today? Most people already know Genting Highlands, even if they've never been there. Same goes to Langkawi. Penang, meanwhile, has its food and culture, Melaka has its history.
So what comes to mind when someone says Cameron Highlands? Tea and strawberries? Are those enough to carry the destination into the future?
Then there is the issue we cannot avoid: traffic. I think many Malaysians love Cameron Highlands but hesitate when they think about the journey of getting there, particularly during weekends and public holidays. The perception of traffic congestion has become part of the Cameron Highlands conversation.
Should it be, though? Could there be better park-and-ride facilities? Could visitors leave their cars at strategic locations and use reliable local transportation?
Could certain areas become more pedestrian-friendly? Instead of accepting traffic congestion as simply "part of the experience of going to Cameron Highlands", perhaps mobility itself could become part of improving visitor experience.
Then there is one question that interests me particularly as a hotelier. What role can the Cameron Highlands hotel community play? Hotels naturally compete with one another. But I have always believed that a hotel can only do so much if the destination around it is not growing in value.
If Cameron Highlands becomes more attractive, hotels benefit. If visitors stay another night, hotels benefit. If more international travellers include Cameron Highlands in their Malaysian itinerary, hotels benefit.
And if the destination becomes known for better food, wellness, nature, events and experiences, everyone benefits.
So should the hotel community there be doing more collectively? Hotels, tourism operators, farmers, restaurants, local authorities and Tourism Malaysia could perhaps have a serious discussion regarding this.
They need to think about how to increase the value of Cameron Highlands rather than how to increase the number of visitors.
Perhaps we should also be looking at how long visitors stay there, how much they spend and whether they return or want to return.
We need to think about hotel rates too, and whether visitors get good value for what they pay.
Equally, if not more, important is how well the natural environment is being protected in Cameron Highlands.
With Visit Malaysia 2026 now underway, perhaps this is a good time to look at destinations such as Cameron Highlands and ask whether we are making the most of what we already have. The "raw ingredients" are certainly there.
Cool weather. Beautiful hills. Agriculture. Nature. Accessibility from major cities like Ipoh, Penang, and KL. Good quality hotels. Strong domestic awareness. The more difficult part is bringing all these together into one compelling destination experience.
Maybe Cameron Highlands does not need more attractions – maybe it just needs better coordination and better public spaces.
I left Cameron Highlands refreshed by the weather and encouraged by the Ascott leaders. But I also left wondering about the enormous potential of the destinations around us. Maybe the bigger question for all of us is: What are we going to do with it?
The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.
Dr Hanley Chew is a hotelier, entrepreneur and former CEO with over three decades of leadership experience in the hospitality industry across Asia.
