Why sustainable tourism should mean more than ditching single-use plastic bottles
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Why sustainable tourism should hateful more than ditching single-use plastic bottles
For savvy travellers, Vocal Saa Individual Island is a by-word for sustainable eco-tourism. Co-founder Melita Hunter shares how the luxury travel manufacture can stride up and lead the style for a more globally eco-witting way to travel.
Melita Hunter is the co-founder of Vocal Saa Private Island in Kingdom of cambodia. (Photo: Song Saa)
10 Mar 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 21 May 2022 xi:44AM)
Rory and Melita Hunter describe themselves as accidental hoteliers. Indeed, nada in their CVs prepared them for setting upwardly their resort, Song Saa Private Island, in 2010 (the resort opened in 2012). Their outsider status, however, has allowed them to encounter things differently from traditional hoteliers, and encouraged them to endeavour new ideas, especially those centred on sustainability and eco-tourism.
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I such initiative was the Vocal Saa Foundation, a not-profit established in 2022 to protect the habitats of the resort'southward surrounding Koh Rong Archipelago and improve the welfare of its communities.
Over the years, the Hunters have worked on a bewildering range of projects that, among others, aim to restore and regenerate Kingdom of cambodia's natural environments including re-wilding indigenous fauna and flora; restore rainforest and wetland ecosystems; provide free healthcare to the local community; conserve Khmer heritage; and improve the wellbeing of local communities.
Here, London-built-in, Sydney-raised Melita shares their journeying.
"The industry focuses heavily on the bottom line. Information technology puts constant pressure on management to make decisions based on fiscal outcomes, often foregoing initiatives that would otherwise have longer-term fiscal benefits and positive impact for the environment." – Melita Hunter
WHAT BROUGHT Y'all AND RORY TO Kingdom of cambodia?
We hadn't planned on moving to Kingdom of cambodia in 2004 to start a business concern. It was more than of a stopover for an adventure on our mode to New York. Rory had a senior role at Saatchi & Saatchi when an opportunity arose to run an ad bureau in Cambodia.
I had my own pattern business and had worked in the creative manufacture as an organic designer and stylist specialising in using organic and recycled materials for interiors, art installations, set up design and events.
BUT YOU Ended UP STAYING!
Nosotros loved the thought of an adventure, and so we planned to spend a year hither before moving on. Simply we completely fell in dear with Cambodia and apace realised there were some astonishing development opportunities. And then, nosotros decided to set upwards a business concern and started our mission to find something special to co-create.
AND THAT WAS Song SAA Individual ISLAND?
We didn't set out to develop a individual island. It was only when we rented a fishing boat for ii weeks and discovered this amazing archipelago – consummate with turquoise waters and pure white sand beaches that stretched for miles, virgin rainforests, waterfalls, kokosnoot plantations, and extremely warm and welcoming locals – that we began contemplating a private island project.
WHAT DID SUSTAINABILITY Hateful TO YOU And so?
To me, sustainability has never been the 'be-all and end-all'. I feel very strongly that we need to motility on from aiming to achieve merely sustainability. My goal is to focus on creating net positive impact and ensuring every project we work on is 'regenerative': Both environmentally and in our community. Humans accept already done so much damage to the planet equally it is and, actually, at this stage, nosotros need to examine everything nosotros practice, from outset to end.
HOW HAS THAT Thought EVOLVED FOR YOU AND RORY?
It's not just most beingness sustainable, but about taking the entire concept of what it means to be greenish and regenerative and applying it every bit the first and foremost priority in every decision we brand, no thing how big or small-scale. We need to constitute positive impact from the first and not brand upwardly for any negative impacts. Nosotros can't exist reactive and apply simple sustainability goals as an afterthought.
SPECIFICALLY, HOW ARE THESE INITIATIVES MANIFESTED PHYSICALLY ON THE Isle?
Throughout the blueprint of the isle, everything blends into the environment and feels every bit though it was ever meant to be there. Whenever possible, we use recycled and locally sourced materials to avoid contributing to deforestation, and to minimise our carbon footprint. Our designs are always about zero waste material and minimal energy utilisation – or even surplus energy production.
These are all congenital-in elements that take been uncommon in the hospitality industry due to the college initial costs. They may not make business organisation sense to some, simply they're actually benign to the environment and will cutting costs in the long run.
Throughout the invitee feel, nosotros also minimise wastage of consumables, such as ensuring no unmarried-utilise plastic, and using bamboo straws, organic fabrics weaved from locally harvested lotus roots, and paw-fabricated ceramics by local artisans trained and hired by our design brand, Song Saa Design.
TELL US More than Nearly YOUR RESORT'South WIDER SUSTAINABILITY Program.
With both the Song Saa Marine Reserve and the Song Saa Foundation, nosotros have ever been about doing business concern in a way that gives back to its ecosystem first.
We spend as much effort on our Foundation initiatives as we do for the pattern, development and operation of the resort, with the united goal of creating positive impact in all that we practice. Through information technology, nosotros manage a range of ecology and customs initiatives throughout the Koh Rong Archipelago.
The team conducts pioneering conservation and community projects, such as coral reef survey dives, artificial coral reef programmes; creates a viable coconut oil enterprise; plants sea grass and mangroves to reduce carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases; and conducts environmental education for our youth programmes such equally the Song Saa bounding main turtles.
HOW HAVE LUXURY TRAVEL PATTERNS EVOLVED IN THE By DECADE?
Luxury travellers are evolving and becoming more socially conscious. They seek deeper fulfilment and enrichment from their journeys. So, rather than the traditional sightseeing and resort experiences, they crave experiences that are harmonious with nature and the socio-cultural surround. This change has increased demand in the sustainable tourism market and information technology drives the whole tourism industry to have a fundamental shift to promote sustainability.
WHAT DO ECO-HOTELS OFTEN Become WRONG WITH THEIR SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMMES?
The industry focuses heavily on the bottom line. It puts constant pressure level on management to make decisions based on financial outcomes, often foregoing initiatives that would otherwise accept longer-term financial benefits and positive impact for the environment.
WHICH HOTELIER OR HOTEL DO YOU Adore FOR THEIR WORK IN SUSTAINABILITY?
North Island, Seychelles is one. It has been defended to sustainable tourism and island conservation for over 20 years and they accept introduced the Noah's Ark rehabilitation plan for ethnic animate being and flora, which is incredibly meaningful.
Naked Stables in Red china is likewise amazing. It's the outset to achieve LEED Platinum certification [in the country]. Its thoughtful design ensures as little disturbance as possible to the existing surround.
WHAT Can Exist Done TO Brand SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL More ACCESSIBLE TO A WIDER RANGE OF TOURISTS?
Being eco-conscious is a lifestyle, non a purchasing decision. We can cull to refill and reuse shampoo bottles instead of buying unmarried-apply containers. Tourists can cull to be more than sustainable in the way they travel, including the form of transport. They can cull eco-friendly accommodations, or go to local markets and support local economies. Each of these small initiatives counts and creates ripple furnishings.
The manufacture as a whole should also unify its arroyo so that together nosotros can achieve lower costs and increased accessibility to green initiatives, too as share our knowledge and experience to further develop best practices. Information technology'southward also important that we use tourism as a force for good to contribute to regeneration efforts, appreciate and support the local economy and environs, and leave a positive impact.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR Yous ON THE SUSTAINABILITY FRONT?
Our latest venture is Song Saa Reserve in the Siem Reap region (35 minutes from Siem Reap International Airport). It'south a 400-hectare eco-tourism projection, which will be a loftier-terminate, environmentally and socially conscious tourism development with the country'southward start ethically-led mixed-use resort.
This project scales up our ethos and approach and allows Cambodia to show the world how tourism, done right, is a powerful means for lifting people out of poverty and protecting the environment, while delivering lifetime experiences to global travellers and attractive returns to our shareholders. We are very excited about information technology!
"We need to establish positive affect from the commencement and not make up for any negative impacts. We tin can't be reactive and apply elementary sustainability goals every bit an reconsideration." – Melita Hunter
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/people/sustainable-tourism-song-saa-private-island-177356
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