Why some figures are marked unverified

Some figures on IslandQuest are described as “reported” or “to confirm” because we could not verify them from an official or first-hand source when we checked. We show them anyway, with the source and date, because they point to the right question. We never present such a figure as settled.

This guide explains the four situations behind the wording. It pairs with how to read as-of dates and our editorial policy.

What are the four situations?

A figure is marked when one of these is true:

1. Only a secondary source reports it.
2. The official page was not available when we checked.
3. The source is dated and may no longer apply.
4. The seller’s own page is a sales listing, not an official record.

Each is a normal part of research. The point is to tell you which one applies, so you know how much weight to give the figure.

What do real examples look like?

For the first situation, a marine park fee at Perhentian is reported by Free Malaysia Today as RM5 for Malaysians and RM30 for foreigners ^[4]. That is a news report, so we describe the amounts as reported and ask you to confirm the current figure.

For the second, the Department of Fisheries marine park page showed a maintenance notice when we checked, and pointed elsewhere ^[1]. We could read the rule about protected zones, but not every detail.

For the same reason, Sabah Tourism and Bernama point travellers to the online licence check of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC). The exact web address should be confirmed on MOTAC’s own site ^[2].

For the third, a 2018 operator notice gave a Sipadan quota of 120 divers a day and a permit fee of MYR148.40 ^[3]. Those figures do not appear on current Sabah Parks pages. We do not use the old figures as current facts.

What does each phrase mean for you?

Wording on the page	What it means	What to do
Reported as	A secondary source says so	Confirm with the seller
At the time of checking	True on our check date, may have changed	Check the date and confirm
Sources differ	Two sources disagree	Use the official one or ask
Confirm with the operator	We could not verify it	Ask in writing

We use these phrases on purpose and do not swap them for stronger words. Our guide on reading a quotation line by line shows where to apply them.

How do you turn an unconfirmed figure into a confirmed one?

Follow a short routine:

1. Note the figure and where you saw it.
2. Ask the seller to state the figure in your written quote.
3. Ask whether the figure is included or paid separately.
4. Save the reply with your quote.

When the seller’s quote and our page differ, the quote is the figure that counts for your booking. If our page is out of date, please send us a correction.

A better fit if…

Reading these notes suits you if:

• you are about to build a budget from figures on a page.
• you have seen two different numbers for the same fee.
• you want to know how much to trust a number before you ask a seller.

What should you do next?

When you see a “reported” figure, copy it into your list of questions. Ask the seller to confirm it in writing. Keep the answer with your quote, and use the island trip cost calculator with the confirmed number.