Sometimes you just need an escape. To hear the lapping waves, enjoy the calm and feel soft warm sand beneath your feet. Beaches are beacons of serenity, offering another world of relaxation – but some are better than others.
Bondi Beach in Sydney for example may not exactly be what you had in mind for a calm afternoon, with its infamous crowds and busy boardwalk. Or the many beaches in Phuket, with their propensity for raucous nightlife, don’t inspire a serene beach day either.
True serenity requires a combination of tropical bliss, luxurious tones, and solitude – without extra noise or distraction. In some cases this means a bit of effort to get there – but once you do the reward is well worth it.
Get away from it all with the 5 most serene beaches around the world:
1. Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays Australia
With a name that sounds like a mystical land rather than a real place, how could this beach not be something special? The sand here is some of the purest in the world, almost 98% silica, and doesn’t retain heat – making it comfortable to stand and walk on throughout the day.
The waters are an incredibly bright and happy blue, and they create stunning colors and patterns when combined with the sand, especially when viewed from above. This is the place to come for active days of sea kayaking or enjoying a cocktail aboard a sunlit yacht.
Perhaps one of the only downfalls to Whitehaven is the jellyfish, which are so prominent throughout half the year (October through May), that protective swim gear is highly advised.
2. Koh Kradan, Thailand
Thailand is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and as such it may seem impossible to find true serenity given their popularity. By traveling to some of the more far-reaching islands in Thailand, away from Phuket, you can still find pockets of true calm and quiet.
Consider Koh Kradan. This small island sits just off Thailand’s southwest coast and provides stunning views across the water of other larger islands dotting the sea in the distance. There are only a couple well spaced out resorts on the island, including one major luxury resort – very popular among honeymooners.
The crowds are very minimal along the Koh Kradan beaches, and the waters provide some of the best snorkeling and sea kayaking in all of Thailand.
3. Cable Beach, Western Australia
The lands of Western Australia are still remote for tourists, a good indication for travelers seeking serenity. This beach is enormous, offering a lot of space for lounging in the warm sun and enjoying the wonderful water. One of the more unique activities available to travelers at Cable Beach is the opportunity to ride camels along the surf at low tide.
As the string of camels methodically make their way, they create stunning and timeless silhouettes in the orange sunset. There are numerous hotel options around Cable Beach, or if you want a bit more choice in other activities you can stay in nearby Broome.
4. Holbox Island, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Hammocks strung between palm trees, thatch roofed bungalows, lovely blue waters, and of course stretches of pristine white sand make it a sure thing that this hidden secret won’t stay hidden for long. Fantasies of walking barefoot everywhere (the streets are paved with sand), cocktails in hand, and warm sea breezes are realized on this small island in the Yucatan Peninsula, near Cancun, just off Mexico’s southeast shore.
As of yet, no major development projects have managed to make headway on Holbox, to the delight of the locals – which is a unique community of European and American tourists who came and never left, as well as native Mexicans and those of Mayan descent. This does mean the options for luxury accommodation and meals are limited but not impossible to find. Plus, part of the charm of Holbox is in its offbeat culture.
If you go between June and September, keep an eye out for the whale sharks that gather just off shore at this time of year.
5. Anse Source D’Argent, Seychelles
Honestly pretty much any beach in the idyllic Seychelles is going to be serene, picturesque, and possess an otherworldly beauty. Pink sands and rock formations rising up create hidden corners where you can capture amazing photos and feel like the only person in the world. The snorkeling here is top notch and the water is clear, shallow and safe – perfect for families.
The Seychelles lie in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of East Africa. There are multiple resort options available on the main islands and it’s a classic destination for honeymooners and travelers looking for a luxurious getaway.
Spend your days island hopping among the entire archipelago, where spectacular beauty and unbelievable ocean landscapes await, and enjoy the peace and quiet along serene quiet soft sand beaches.
Jared Alster is the co-founder of Stride Travel, a new marketplace connecting world travelers with tour operators, adventure outfitters, & professionally planned trips.
We are happy to present the brand new Cambodia destination guide on Beachmeter.com. But first, check out our homemade Cambodia infographic, giving you a quick overview of traveling to the country and exploring the islands and beaches.
The Cambodia infographic gives you a quick idea of when to go, how much you can expect to spend, which beach to go to, and much more.
More information on Cambodia
Included on the page is also a look at Cambodia’s tourism potential, the beautiful beaches, Khmer food, when to go, and the what type of accommodation you can find. We will continue to update the page with more information, so stay tuned.
We met up with French native Alexis to try his all new zipline adventure on the Kampot River in Cambodia. Kampot Zipline River Park officially opened on the 16th of March 2016, and contrary to what you may think, this action-packed experience receives most of its customers among Cambodian thrill-seekers. So far, 80 percent of the customers have been Cambodians, while the remains 20 percent have been expats living in Cambodia and foreign travelers visiting Kampot.
KAMPOT ZIPLINE
Area:Kampot River, Cambodia Opened: March 2016 Price:USD 5$ (super cheap, right!) Price includes:Safety equipment, instructions, tree walk, ziplining, and return boat Duration: Approx. 30 minutes Conditions: Minimum height 120 cm, maximum weight 110 kg
As Alexis says, the River Park gives Cambodians a unique opportunity to try out ziplining in a fun and safe environment while not having to empty their pockets. The experience currently costs only 5 USD and includes safety equipment and instructions, an exciting walk up the spiralling bamboo stairway to the zipline platform at the top of a tall tree, ziplining over the Kampot river, and a pleasant rowing trip back across the river.
Zipline Gallery from Kampot Zipline River Park
Kampot Zipline River Park
Only 5 USD$!
Record your ziplining adventure
Double Protection for your security
Carabiners keep you safe
Your zipline adventure begins here!
Try it if you dare!
The exciting journey to the zipline platform
Rope ladders lead to the wooden zipline platform
Alexis gives the last instructions before take-off
The zipline over Kampot River
Take a deep breath, and go!
Flying over the Kampot River
Flying through the air!
The zipline ends here
Alexis worked on the project for 6 months before the grand opening. He has constructed the setup himself to ensure that every single step in the experience is smooth and secure, and every morning he conducts safety checks. Kampot Zipline has received local publicity through newspapers, TV, and a good dose of social media sharing by Cambodians who are eager to share their exhilarating adventure over the Kampot River.
The plan is to expand the experience with a return zipline journey along with new fun trials on the riverside.
If you are in the Kampot area in southern Cambodia, don’t miss your chance to try out this new and exciting experience at the River Park.
Kampot Ziplining – Practical Information
Since the Kampot Zipline adventure requires a bit of climbing and balancing it is advised only for persons in a good physical condition. The experience will not boost your adrenaline level to a maximum like a bungyjump, but you will challenge yourself if you have a mild fear of heights. The minimum height of participants is 120 cm, while the zipline is suitable for people weighing up to 110 kg. Do note that the more you weigh, the more speed you will gain on the journey over the river, and the closer your feet will be to reaching the river water.
More About Kampot Zipline River Park
If you like more information, images, and videos from this zipline adventure, check out their facebook page.
The beach always seems to bring out the poet in people. The beach is a symbol of transitions. It is a place of goodbye’s and welcome’s, dangers and safety, and vast opportunities stretching as far as the horizon. It is a place of contemplation, meditation, rhythm, and serenity. It is a place of activity, entertainment, and play.
99 Problems, But a Beach Ain’t One…
Throughout the centuries, whatever people have associated with the beach, it has brought them inspiration and sentiments. It is no surprise that the sea, the waves, the sand, and the breeze have been the subject of countless songs, poems, and quotes.
An Easy Catch
We have gathered the most beautiful, fun, and tacky examples of beach poetry. In fact, it did not take us long to find them all represented by doing a few searches. If you are in need of a little beach poetry to express your feelings or let your mind wander to the shore, take a look at our new Beach Quotes and Poetry section.
We guarantee that there is a quote for you! Or even better, share your greatest beach poem with the rest of us in the comment section. Happy daydreaming.
The lodge manager gave me a smile and a small nod, as I said good morning to him. His face immediately went back to the worried expression he had had before I entered. His mind was somewhere else, and the slight discomfort was surrounding all the lodge.
He saw my questioning look and said: “We have a group of travel journalists coming today.” He smiled sheepishly. He didn’t have to say more. We both knew.
The Fear of Contamination
Hotels and tour agencies fear travel journalists. Everyone in the tourism industry knows it – at least everyone but the journalists themselves. But why?
Their standards are higher than most ordinary tourists’ and they are much harder to impress!
Travel journalists are used to receiving a little extra attention when they are invited to try out travel products and services. They get room upgrades, extra wide smiles, requests are met, names and titles are remembered. They are used to receiving special treatment, and perhaps begin to expect that as their journalism careers progress. Put simply, their standards are higher than most ordinary tourists’ and they are much harder to impress.
If hotels have a slight fear of travel journalists, they are terrified by the thought of hosting a group of them. One comment about a dusty spot on the floor, squeaky noises from the aircondition, or an under-cooked carrot can contaminate the conversations, and soon everyone is adding up on the pile of things that could be improved at the hotel. A group of guests with negative impressions of the hotel is bad enough. Now imagine what a group of journalists who spread these sentiments can do to your travel business.
The Pen of Truth
When the travel journalists put pen to paper and publish their reviews in public media, that’s when their tourism hosts learn their fate. It’s a bit like that moment when you receive your exam score and learn whether or not you dodged a bullet; that is, until the next time you’ll be put on trial.
As the travel journalist writes his or her review, it will guide readers’ impression of the hotel or tourism service, and be a big influencer in their travel decision-making. This is why the tourism industry needs travel journalists. They present an opportunity for them to showcase what they are about and to communicate this to a much bigger crowd of potential guests. Engaging with travel journalists presents risks and rewards.
A Moment of Phew!
The travel journalists hurried on to their next item on their busy travel itinerary. This group had been forgiving, nature had shown them extraordinary wildlife to write about, the guide’s jokes had caught on, and the mood had been pleasant throughout. The lodge returned to equilibrium and once again smiles were warm and the atmosphere was jovial. The reviews would surely be good.
This time!
A New Era of Travel Experts
We are in a new era of travel reviewers and experts. The judgements of fellow travelers have become monumental in our travel choices. We perceive fellow travelers as honest and unbiased in their reviews of hotels and travel destinations. As reviewers and travel bloggers have taken over much of the functions of traditional travel journalists, the power once held by the latter is diminishing.
However, instead of pampering a group of travel journalists once a while, hotels are now being weighed, reviewed, and evaluated by everyone all the time.
Maybe the travel journalists were not so bad after all?
How to Deal With Travel Writers?
There is not much information on the actual perception of travel journalists within the travel industry. There is however a very interesting talk about travel writers by Mark Chesnut where he examines the evolution of travel journalism, the increasingly blurred lines between travel journalists and travel bloggers, and how to find good travel writers.
Have you encountered travel journalists or bloggers? Feel free to share your experiences below.
A Small Island in the Sulu Sea of Malaysian Borneo
One of three small islands in the Turtle Islands Park, Selingan “Turtle” Island invites travelers to witness a magical wildlife experience. Green turtles and hawksbill turtles come ashore to lay eggs after the sun has set and darkness covers the little island.
Aerial view of Selingan Island. Photo by Grete Howard.
SELINGAN TURTLE ISLAND
Area:8 hectares (approx. 200 x 400 m) Location: Sulu Sea, 40 km north of Sandakan Population:Only rangers and lodge staff Accommodation:1 lodge with 24 basic, but comfy guest rooms Main attraction: Green and Hawksbill turtles (laying eggs and hatching) Likelihood of witnessing turtles: >99%
Waiting for the Gong
We are all done with our dinner meal, a buffet with options for all tastes and lots of fruits to end it on. We have heard the instructions: Do not interfere with any turtles approaching from sea, be quiet as you experience the scene, stay with the group, follow the directions from the ranger etc. No one is talking, not even the talkative old British couple with whom we had shared stories. 40 people waiting in quiet anticipation. Our small island was swallowed by darkness a few hours ago, and it could happen anytime. Most people were hoping for an early sighting in order to catch as much sleep as possible, before the early morning rise.
GONG!
Initial panic as everyone got up from their chairs and looked around as if they had forgotten the instructions. The rangers took charge, and we all followed their flashlights down towards the beach. A ranger had spotted the first green turtle appearing from the sea to dig a large hole in the sand, position herself, and then lay her eggs. We stood in a half circle around the big turtle as the rangers directed their torches at the newly dug turtle nest. One by one the eggs fell into the pit. Now and then a ranger would carefully remove the eggs and put them in a bucket.
Turtles laying eggs are in a trance, their actions totally controlled by their natural instincts. We were informed that once the egg laying started, they would not mind the people around them or anything else for that matter. We followed a ranger back to the hatchery, as other rangers continued to collect eggs from turtles.
A hole had been prepared at the hatchery. The eggs were lowered into the sand and carefully covered up. In two months, hopefully, small baby turtles would start to stir the sand trying to dig themselves out in search of the sea. We didn’t have to wait two months. The baby turtles from a previous nesting had hatched and they were now ready to start their turtle life. Once again we went down to the beach where cute baby turtles were released and directed to sea by the helping rangers. The Sulu Sea had once again been enriched with a batch of baby turtles in an effort to defy the odds of survival and to ensure that the dwindling sea turtle population will once again be strong and stable.
Visitors to Selingan Island witnessed this beautiful turtle laying eggs
The egg-laying turtles are in a trance and are not bothered by sights and sounds around them
A steady stream of turtle eggs are laid one by one in the sand pit
Egg-laying turtles are measured
The newly laid turtle are collected in a bucked
The eggs are transplanted to a sand pit at the turtle hatchery protected from predators by fences
The turtle hatchery with collected eggs waiting to hatch
The hatched green baby turtles are ready to be set free
Turtle hatchlings being released on the beach
Early Morning Surprise
As soon as light broke, we got up. It is not uncommon to spot the last turtles laying their eggs in the early morning hours. We walked around the little island. There were plenty of turtle tracks, and it seemed like all the turtles had already returned to sea. That’s when we saw Molly, a large water monitor lizard. We kept a safe distance to the lizard, but Molly was clearly more interested in what lay beneath the sand.
We were somehow saddened to see Molly end the chances of survival with each egg she swallowed. Just the night before we witnessed the protection of turtle life, and right before us now a big lizard was feasting on unborn baby turtles. We passively watched as nature brutally worked through its routine as it has done for millions of years. After all, we agreed, we had come to assist wildlife not interfere with it.
No sign of egg-laying turtles in the morning – just the tracks remained
Instead we found this!
Water monitor lizard looking for fresh turtle eggs
The monitor lizard uses its long tongue to smell in search of food
Molly found several fresh turtle eggs buried in the sand
We witnessed Molly eat a handful of turtle eggs, and did not interfere
Selingan Island: General Information
Selingan Island Resort
The only people actually staying on Selingan Island are turtle rescue volunteers, researchers, rangers, and lodge staff. There are 24 guest rooms on the island. They are split into four buildings each with 6 rooms. We were expecting very basic accommodation, but found the rooms to be spacious and comfortable. If you need a tv and a fridge, you are in the wrong place anyway. The rooms recently got aircondition, but to save the scarce energy on the small island, we suggest you only use the ceiling fan. If you need to cool down, a swim in the sea or a quick shower will do wonders.
The rooms are with twin-beds and as such they are designed for two people traveling together. If your travel party consists of more than two people, you need an extra room. The resort does have extra mattresses for children, so check beforehand if you are allowed to sleep in one room if that’s your preference.
Walking from the guest rooms towards the common visitor area, you pass the fenced hatchery, where collected eggs are kept safe from predators. The main building on Turtle Island is the lodge with common seating areas, information, and the restaurant. On an information screen in front of the entrance, you can see the latest details from the turtle hatchery: How many turtles laid eggs the previous nights and at what time, how many eggs were transferred to the protected hatchery, how many baby turtles hatched, and the accumulated number of turtle nests during the year.
One of Selingan Island Resort’s chalets. Photo by Borneo Eco Tours.
Selingan Island Resort room. Photo by Borneo Eco Tours.
The Turtle Hatchery
Turtle information board
More Than Turtles
Selingan Island is not only about turtles. The island itself is beautiful. It’s small enough to walk around in half an hour, but still big enough to find small secluded spots along the way. There is a designated area for snorkeling, and snorkel equipment for cheap rent. I don’t like boundaries when swimming in the sea, but I guess it helps keep the other parts of the island wild and the lifeguards can easily survey the swimmers. The sand is white and very smooth, the water is clear, and you can view other small islands in the horizon. The sunset was stunning.
Near the guest chalets there is a dirt football (soccer) field. You can join the rangers for a game, if you can bear the heat. There is also a volleyball net at the main building, which no one seemed to be using. If you want to learn more about turtle life there is an information centre above the cafeteria area.
Here are a few more images of our turtle island experience. Are you tempted to go?
Boats like this one transport travelers to Selingan Island
The interior of the island is full of lush green plants and trees
Green bushes and trees grow on the beach
The green vegetation gives a wilderness feeling
Take a walk around the island and find an empty spot
Take time to explore the beaches around the island
Life guard post and trees providing shade
Coconuts sometimes fall from the palm trees – mind your head!
Suddenly we spotted a baby turtle hatchling steering towards the sea
The last obstacles before reaching the sea
And finally, the first contact with the sea where a new life awaits
A magnificent way to end the day
Practical information
<strong>Is it for you?</strong>
The trip is suitable for all ages. We were joined by families with young children as well as elderly couples. If you appreciate wildlife, soft white sand, and cute baby turtles, this experience is for you. A walk down to the beach is all the fitness you need to endure. The facilities are fairly simple, the guest rooms and the cafeteria could be more charming, but it’s more than sufficient to keep yourself comfortable. Go for the wildlife island experience, not the luxury. The guides are friendly and knowledgeable, sprinkled with a relaxed island mentality.
<strong>How and when to go?</strong>
You can only book the turtle experience at Selingan Island through a travel agency. We can recommend Borneo Eco Tours which also has a number of other eco-friendly travel experiences on offer and competent guides. So if you were considering hiring a local fisherman to take you to the island, don’t. There is only one accommodation option on the small island, and the turtle experience is popular. This means that you should book well in advance and be prepared to re-arrange your Borneo itinerary around it. The price is pretty much fixed, but do check a few selling agents to make sure you pay the right price.
Each and every night Selingan Island is visited by egg-laying turtles. You can witness the turtles on any day of the year.
<strong>Itinerary</strong>
The Selingan Island experience is part of a fixed 2 days / 1 night package with fullboard. Here is a rough itinerary:
Day 1:
Morning transfer from Sandakan Airport or hotel to the pier. A pleasant speedboat trip will take you directly to Selingan Island in less than an hour.
Check-in and information by your guide. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure. You can snorkel, take a walk around the island, and visit the turtle hatchery.
There is dinner in the evening, and then everyone awaits the signal from the rangers when they spot the first egg-laying turtle on the beach. Green turtles are most common, but the island does get hawksbill turtles as well. You witness the turtle laying eggs, the collection and transplanting of eggs to the hatchery. Small baby turtles are waiting to be released under the cover of the dark night. Once again you walk down to the beach and help direct the cute turtles into the sea to a safe start of their dangerous life journey. Note that guests are encouraged not to pick up the small turtles.
Overnight in one of the twin-bedded guest rooms.
Day 2:
Get up early for a chance to see late-comer turtles lay their eggs in the morning light. After breakfast, return by boat to Sandakan.
The turtle experience on Selingan Island ends here, but most packages include a visit onwards to Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre.
<strong>What to pack?</strong>
You need very few things for this trip. Food, water, towels, bedsheets, and shampoo are provided. If you can deposit your big luggage at your hotel in Sandakan or with your travel agent, we recommend you to do that. A small backpack should be sufficient. Essentials to bring are:
Swimming wear
Light and comfy clothes
Flip-flops (no need for shoes)
Money (for beverages, snorkel rental, and camera fee)
Camera
Sun lotion, toiletries, personal medicine
The Selingan Island Turtle Experience
A visit to Selingan Island should definitely be on your Sabah itinerary. Day guests are not accepted, so there is a maximum to how many tourists will be on the island at any given time. This allows you to have a bit of the island by yourself. We were positively surprised by the standard of the rooms, although this was not and should not be a priority. In the end the trip more than lived up to our expectations – we were not expecting the charm and beauty of the little island.
A few improvements to the experience could be…
1
Guests are repeatedly told that smoking on the island is strictly prohibited due to environmental reasons. At the same, some rangers and guides casually smoke on the island in front of everyone. That’s Borneo!
2
The stretches of beach around the island were not properly cleaned of marine debris, empty plastic bottles etc. It would not take long for one volunteer to walk around the island with a bag to pick up the garbage.
More on the Selingan Turtle Island Experience
We were not the first ones to enjoy this wonderful turtle experience. Take a look at these resources where you can find further descriptions and images from Borneo’s Turtle Island.
Turtle Island Borneo: The official website of the island, providing valuable information about the package, itinerary, and images.
Borneo Eco Tours: The local travel agent we booked with. Borneo Eco Tours cover all of Borneo, they have a strong social and environmental profile, and their guides and drivers are excellent.
As Her World Turns: Erica tells us about her Selingan Island trip in two posts. In Arriving at Turtle Island, Borneo she gives a magnificent account of the first day experience through ample photo documentation. She eats, she snorkels, she explores, and shows what you can expect from Selingan Island. Her adventure continues in The Turtle Island Experience, where – you guessed it – we are walked through an evening of turtle hatching, egg transplantation, and baby turtle release with great photos from the activities.
The Adventures of M&M: A photo story about the turtle island experience in Borneo by Michael and Martina. Great photos and a very impressive early morning video of an egg-laying green turtle. See it right here:
If you want to learn more about Borneo and the rest of Malaysia, take a look at our Malaysia Destination Guide.
Are Luxury Travel and Sustainable Tourism Compatible?
Imagine a luxury hotel in the middle of a resource depleted and naturally fragile area. Imagine tourists paying the same amount for a single room night of pampering and wellness as a local villager outisde the hotel gate dreams of making in a year. And imagine tourists sipping imported drinks in swimming pools while the next door family daughter misses school because she has to walk to the nearest well for water.
It doesn’t sound right. In fact, it sounds UGLY.
Luxury as an Opportunity
Should we dismiss luxury as a careless playground for the privileged to show off their success and claim their reward for “working hard”? Of course not. This is not a fair portrayal of luxury tourism. Without a doubt this type of tourism has rightly received criticism for its wastefulness and at times detrimental effects on natural resources and socioeconomic stability. However, luxury tourism is evolving and both luxury travelers and suppliers in the tourism industry are embracing new and more responsible ways of traveling. Here, we want to explore how the evolving luxury market can be utilized to bring about desired changes.
You have a group of consumers willing to pay a premium for high quality and unique experiences. That doesn’t sound bad at all. In fact, that sounds like a huge opportunity.
The New Luxury
First, however, let’s look at our understanding of “luxury”. The concept is highly contextual and personal – not a thing we can simply buy as the advertisements would have us believe. After a long winter in the north, I dream of the luxury of a warm and sunny day. After months in the tropics, I dream of the cold fresh air in the north. Luxury can be as simple as a cold shower after a hiking trip. Luxury can be having a computer. Luxury can be not having one. Then again, luxury can be wearing a diamond ring and driving a Ferrari.
Despite the high elasticity of the meaning of luxury, the current understanding of the concept is evolving from being associated with things you can own, to being authentic experiences. This presents opportunities for the travel and hospitality industry.
The Evolution of Luxury and How this presents Opportunities for Sustainable Tourism
In the old paradigm of luxury, a luxury hotel experience is nearly identical whether you are in Boston, Cape Town or Ho Chi Minh City. The amenities, the services, the language, the food, the procedures, and even the morning newspaper will be the same. You will not be confronted with local cultural differences – at least not more than exotic references of the place you are visiting. The experience will be a tourism bubble of comfort, convenience, and familiarity which shields off the surrounding environment.
Burj Al Arab Jumeirah (background), an example of classic hotel luxury.
This form of tourism is in no way dying out. However, luxury tourism providers are increasingly held accountable and questioned about their impacts on natural and social environments. Furthermore, the new luxury segment – a new paradigm of luxury – is quickly emerging. This segment seeks fulfilling experiences in harmony with nature and sociocultural surroundings. And in this paradigm, a wildlife experience in a remote destination while sleeping in a rustic eco-lodge harvests much more social capital and envy from peers than a luxury stay at a Hyatt hotel in the Maldives or even the self-proclaimed 7-star Burj Al Arab Jumeirah in Dubai.
A new kind of luxury travel: Unique nature, wildlife, and adventure.
A New Synergy between Luxury Travel and Sustainable Tourism?
With the growth of this new luxury travel segment, sustainability and luxury travel have the potential to prosper together. Here are some of the ways local communities, wildlife, and natural surroundings can benefit from the new luxury travel segment.
Local Economic Boosts and Jobs
New luxury travelers value authenticity and uniqueness of people and place. This means that they want to experience local culture, food, arts, handicrafts, and traditions. This presents opportunities for local community members to become managers, receptionists, guides, drivers, cleaners, sellers, artists and so on inside the tourism industry. Not only will this support the local beneficiaries directly, it will also create a multiplier effect from bringing more economic means and demands for services and supplies into the community.
Community Development
Sustainable luxury suppliers within tourism commit to educating and training their staff and partners. The training can be in anything from management and service to marketing and language. This means that even people with little formal education can receive skills and experiences that empower them to follow their passions. Additionally, it is common that ecolodges and sustainable tourism providers support various local projects such as local schools and organic farming.
By stressing local produce, food, customs, handicrafts, and artistry, positive heritage awareness and cultural pride can be boosted through the appreciation of visitors. Local youth can thus be encouraged to keep valuable cultural traits alive and connect with their roots.
Improved Infrastructure
A new village well, solar powered electricity, improved roads and transport options, internet connectivity, garbage collecting system, and sanitation. These initiatives can all be positive impacts derived from sustainable tourism. New luxury travelers, although adhering to more natural barefoot luxury experiences, will often demand clean water, efficient waste and garbage management, and other familiar conveniences. If developed and managed sustainably, this can bring the mentioned improvements to the local community as well.
Wildlife and Environmental Protection
In low-resource countries, wild natural landscapes and wildlife are sometimes worth less than the economic potential of farming, plantations, and even poaching. As a result, these wildlife oases are diminishing while species and plants go extinct. Tourism has the potential to reverse this trend. The new luxury travel market that seeks authentic adventures and wildlife will gladly pay national park fees and extra premiums to experience natural beauty, making environmental protection more economically sound and sustainable than alternative and degrading forms of land use.
As new luxury travelers emphasise healthy living, organic and locally grown food will be in demand, resulting in less pesticides and healthier crop management.
Can Luxury Travel Lead the Way?
If we accept the new paradigm of luxury, luxury travel can lead the way in boosting sustainable tourism. The potential opportunities of tourism to generate positive impacts on people and environment are in no way new. These advantages have been discussed through three decades. What luxury adds to the mix, however, is a stronger economic incentive plus a bigger opportunity to act as a trendsetter for tourism development and tourist experiences in general.
Sustainable travel does not have to be limited to village homestays and primitive bungalows anymore. With the advancement of sustainable technology and refinement of tourist motivations, it is now easier than ever for all stakeholders in tourism to include sustainability as an integrated part of their operations. Indeed, it even makes economic sense to care.
Further Information about Luxury Travel and Sustainable Tourism
This article was inspired by an excellent webinar by BookGreener.com called “Could Sustainability be the Future of Luxury”. The webinar explores the synergies between luxury travel and sustainable tourism, and three absolute front runners of sustainable tourism share their wealth of knowledge and experience on this issue.
BookGreener is an excellent resource for anyone interested in sustainable tourism. You will find a lot of practical solutions drawn from tourism industry leaders, and we encourage you to hear and see their other inspiring podcasts and webinars on tourism sustainability.
The Evolution of the Luxury Guestroom by Michael R. Paneri from Viceroy Hotel Group. On the emergence of “new luxury” and how “new luxury guests” want environmental concern and responsibility to be incorporated in the hotel design.
The Evolution of the Luxury Travel Consumer by JohnHenry.net. On how today’s luxury travelers want to engage with their travel destination, combine simplicity and luxury, and at the same time contribute to sustainable development through their travels.
The only people actually staying on Selingan Island are turtle rescue volunteers, researchers, rangers, and lodge staff. There are 24 guest rooms on the island. They are split into four buildings each with 6 rooms. We were expecting very basic accommodation, but found the rooms to be spacious and comfortable. If you need a tv and a fridge, you are in the wrong place anyway. The rooms recently got aircondition, but to save the scarce energy on the small island, we suggest you only use the ceiling fan. If you need to cool down, a swim in the sea or a quick shower will do wonders.
