The Stong area is an important centre for nature tourism and recreation in Kelantan. It is already attracting about 5,000 local and foreign visitors a year who go there for camping and mountaineering. The only way to regulate and monitor visits in a responsible manner is to turn it into a protected area guided by a good management plan.
Tourism has provided an additional revenue base for locals, especially for the restaurant, guiding, boat and taxi operators. If developed properly, the state park will create new job and income opportunities for local communities to participate in the form of eco- and agro-tourism, bed-and-breakfast, home-stays and home-based small businesses such as handicraft-making.
