Shopping

Tioman has been a duty-free shopping zone since it received the status in 2002. However, visitors and tourists expecting to do some great shopping in Pulau Tioman will be severely dissappointed with the lack of range in duty free products and items. Other than cigarettes and alcohol, there are no other types of duty-free goods like those you can find in Langkawi, such as perfume, leather, confectionery and luggage bags.

It seems that Tioman has not seized the opportunity to be a major shopping zone like Langkawi, perhaps due to cultural factors and the locals not being able to see the long-term economic benefits. Tekek is the hub for all shopping in Tioman, as the other villages do not even have duty-free outlets. Besides the specialised duty free centers, even the sundry shops in Tekek stock alcohol and cigarettes for sale in cartons along with souvenirs and handicrafts that can make good mementos of your trip here. These duty-free establishments are concentrated in the south of Tekek, along the main road between the airport and just before the Tioman Dive Center, where the road winds uphill towards Berjaya Tioman Resort. Again, don't expect anything more than cigarettes and alcohol when it comes to duty-free goods. The aiport also has a duty-free outlet which may have a little confectionery stored up.

Since Tioman caters more for holiday and entertainment purposes, this means loose packs of cigarettes and single cans of beer are sold in abundance throughout most villages and beaches in Tioman. A pack of branded cigarettes cost about MYR5.60 (compared to MYR9.20 on the mainland), which is the same price in Langkawi. However, the range of cigarettes are limited to mostly popular brands (though there are one or two budget brands that retail at MYR2 per pack, such as 'Line Top' - These you can never find on the mainland, only in Langkawi or Tioman). You can also buy them in cartons of 200 boxes or 200 sticks from any duty-free outlet or even the sundry shops in Tekek. Each visitor to the island is eligible to bring out one carton of cigarettes after staying 2 nights.

Since Tioman caters more for holiday and entertainment purposes, this means loose packs of cigarettes and single cans of beer are sold in abundance throughout most villages and beaches in Tioman. A pack of branded cigarettes cost about MYR5.60 (compared to MYR9.20 on the mainland), which is the same price in Langkawi. However, the range of cigarettes are limited to mostly popular brands (though there are one or two budget brands that retail at MYR2 per pack, such as 'Line Top' - These you can never find on the mainland, only in Langkawi or Tioman). You can also buy them in cartons of 200 boxes or 200 sticks from any duty-free outlet or even the sundry shops in Tekek.

Each visitor to the island is eligible to bring out one carton of cigarettes after staying 2 nights. Tiger is the most frequently drunk beer in villages around Tioman and also retails at the cheapest price. A can of Tiger Beer bought in a sundry shop in Tekek would cost MYR2.50. If bought in fives from duty-free outlets, it would cost only MYR2 per can. Buy them in bulk and it would get even cheaper. The range of other beer in Tioman is mostly limited to Carlsberg, Heineken, Tsingtao (China) and Chang (Thailand), which retail from MYR3 onwards per can. Langkawi is still the king of beer, however, as it only costs MY1.50 per can in any mini market over there.

If you're looking for other types of alchol, only Tekek's duty-free outlets retail a limited range of spirits and wines. The choices of brandy, whisky, vodka, wine and rum brands does not even come halfway close to Langkawi and remains severely limited. The prices for these alcoholic products, like beer, is also slightly higher than in Langkawi. Some regular visitors who have been to Langkawi do claim, however, that the alcohol does taste better in Tioman, being more 'concentrated'. Finally, each visitor is allowed to bring out a liter of alcohol when leaving Tioman after staying at least 72 hours on the island.

Visitors and tourists who happen to take organised tours from chalets or dive centers while in Tioman may sometimes find themselves being taken to a duty-free center in Tekek, on the pretense of 'taking a break' in the time gaps between visiting places on the itinerary. All the tour operators will, of course, receive pecuniary benefits from the duty free center with this arrangement if their guests actually purchase goods on the spot; the more, the better. The customs in Tioman is very lax, even more so than Langkawi, prefering a 'don't show, don't tell' policy. After that statement, please note that it is still at your own risk if you attempt to bring out more than you should!

If you're staying in Tekek and shopping for light supplies and groceries, then Alice Happy Shop comes highly recommended. It's a small little sundry outlet run by a jovial Chinese lady located opposite Barbura Resort and a few doors away from Sarang Seafood Restaurant. Look for the signboard so you don't confuse it with the other neighbouring sundry shops. While she doesn't have souvenirs, the prices for her food and drink items are the cheapest in the whole of Tioman. For example, a 1.5 liter bottle of water costs only MYR2, compared with MYR2.50-3.00 in other shops. You can also rent bicycles from her or buy cigarettes in cartons. They may be other shops with the similar prices in Tekek, but the difference you get is a bright smile and cheerful dialogue from the lady who runs this memorable shop in Tioman.