With the recent influx of visitors, a lot of improvement needs to be done to avoid damage to Pulau Kapas's scenic beauty.

Chairman of the Committee on State Tourism, Culture, and Information Technology Ariffin Deraman said among others that more rubbish bins should be placed, as well as signage boards put up to remind the public of the need to help preserve cleanliness on the island.

 “The state government is aware that the number of visitors, particularly those who took the day trip packages, has increased significantly to over 100 per cent since July. This is beyond our expectation and has exceeded the carrying capacity of the island, raising the concern of many quarters on issues such as garbage dumping, coral reefs destruction and damage to the island’s natural beauty,” he said.

Many quarters, particularly nature lovers, have recently called on the Terengganu Government to take the required measures to resolve the island's waste dumping issues since this has damaged the coral reefs.

He said the district office in Marang and the district council in Marang carried out a comprehensive study to ensure that tourist influxes do not affect the island.

“Several measures have also been taken, including by the Marine Parks Department, which is monitoring to ensure that boats bringing passengers on day trip packages to the island do not operate earlier than 8 am,” he added.

Based on records, about 42,000 tourists visited the island every month since the Recovery Movement Control Order.