The first settlers of Pulau Redang were believed to be the Bugis from Celebes, Indonesia. They established their first village at Teluk Kalong and later moved south to Pulau Pinang ("betel nut palm island") where the present Marine Park Centre is located. The villagers on Redang are believed to be descendents of these original Bugis settlers.
In the early 70s, when land in Pulau Pinang became scarce, some villagers moved to the Redang river estuary. The state government built a water village for these residents in 1976 which became home to about 250 fishermen families. Known as Kampung Air ("water village"), it comprised wooden houses built on stilts. Kampung Air was torn down in 2001 and some families relocated to the village inland while others went back to the mainland. Many of the residents have since left the fishing trade and moved into the tourism industry, running village restaurants, boat services or working in the resorts.
The first resorts on Redang appeared around the late 80s. With the declaration of Redang as a marine park in 1991 came gradual development of more resorts to cater to local marine enthusiasts who flocked to the relatively unspoilt island to snorkel and dive. By the turn of the century, most of the existing resorts today were already operational. In 2000, with the release of the successful Hong Kong movie 'Summer Holiday', much of which was shot on Redang, the island was thrust into the international spotlight. The movie generated much publicity, awareness and interest both locally and overseas and sparked development of a few new resorts and expansion of existing ones to cater for the increasing number of visitors. In 2003, the Berjaya Group completed work on the airport and the first direct flights between KL and Redang commenced in March 2004, with direct flights between Singapore and Redang commencing a year later.
