Mr Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong

History

Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong (February 28, 1918 – October 23, 2007) was well-known for wealth as Malaysian Chinese businessman. He was recognized for his vision and courage in converting Genting Highlands from an unfamiliar hilltop to one of the world's most successful casino resorts.

He was once the 3rd richest man in Malaysia with a net worth estimated to be 4.2 billion USD, making him the 204th richest person in the billionaire list compiled by Forbes.

And to his admirers, he was more than just a developer, personifying the clutch of overseas Chinese business entrepreneurs who fled hardship in their homeland to build the corporate empires that played a major role in South-east Asia's economic boom.

He is …show more content…

Tan Sri Lim managed to obtain a pioneer status for Genting Highlands and tax incentives despite its resort development not qualifying for it. He did so by convincing the government that tax incentives in the early stage of development of Genting Highlands were not only vital for them but also profitable to the government later on.

The whole Genting project was completed in January 1971, but prior to officially commencing business, Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding areas were hit by the worst rainstorms in a century, the road to Genting was closed by landslides at 180 locations, and the damaged took four months to repair. Genting opened its door for business on May 8, 1971.

In the next 30 years, Tan Sri Lim continued to develop and expand Genting Highlands beyond its original idea of a hotel with basic tourist facilities. Among the projects were the construction of more hotels, indoor and outdoor theme parks, and a convention centre. A new road was built to shorten the journey to Genting from the northern states and RM120 million was invested to widen a 10 km stretch of the access road to reduce congestion.

Another RM128 million was spent on constructing a cable car system to provide visitors with an alternative