The pledge to make Maldives holidays carbon neutral

Since last year, the Maldives have made significant progress towards their plan of becoming the first carbon neutral country in the world, and during the recent Six Senses SLOWLIFE Symposium currently taking place at the Six Senses Soneva Fushi resort in the Maldives, the government has given full backing to achieve this amazing milestone.

Currently on day three of the Six Senses SLOWLIFE SYMPOSIUM meetings, Maldives' president, Mohamed Nasheed made a pledge to take all steps necessary to make the Maldives the greenest of countries and achieve a carbon neutral status.

Present at the meeting, Virgin owner and legendary business tycoon Richard Branson joined a list of other famous celebrities including actress Daryl Hannah, actor and active environmentalist Edward Norton, journalists, government ministers and various representatives from the global tourism industry.

Image by : IDEE_PER_VIAGGIARE, on Flickr.

Speaking to such a varied audience of dignitaries, artists and entrepreneurs, Mr Nasheed outlined several areas in which the Maldives government had made important progress over the last year, including:

• Publishing the new carbon neutral electricity plan online and inviting ‘crowd-sourcing' comments from experts worldwide
• Committing to a new target to generate 60% of electricity via solar power by 2020, and reducing electricity emissions by 80% without putting up the cost of power to consumers
• The signing of the first contract under the new ‘feed-in-tariff' between the state electricity company and a Male hotel chain to supply solar power onto the grid
• A new import regime by the Transport Ministry to ensure that in future electric cars will be a third of the price of conventional petrol cars
• New policies to encourage the uptake of renewable energy and marine transport
• The pledge to spend 2% of national income on renewable energy deployment in the country

Image by: thetravelguru, on Flickr.

All these important steps are being taken to ensure the sustainability of Maldives holidays today and in the future. Calling for "new thinking", the president alerted all those present by saying: "If we don't have alternative fuels we are going to have the mother of all recessions. The way to kick-start the revolution is to have no tax on all clean energy while slowly increasing tax on dirty energy."

Sir Branson took the opportunity to also call on all European aviation authorities and airports to do more to reduce the aviation industry's energy emissions and said that the climate change battle is the "biggest entrepreneurial opportunity of our lifetime".

"Every single ecosystem is in decline. We must revalue how we value our natural assets and how we reduce our consumption patterns. But it is important for all of us to stay positive. Martin Luther King did not get his message across by saying 'I have a nightmare'." he said.

Greener Maldives holidays are already a reality as the government works hard to implement the new rules, but the President put emphasis on not letting the Maldives be an isolated example, saying that cutting carbon emissions did not mean staying in poverty. "Rich countries are led by the world's biggest debtor, the United States. Poor countries are led by the biggest investor, the People's Republic of China. Are they poor or are they rich?"

Throughout the three days of the symposium there has been a lot of narrative about empowering ordinary people around the globe to take part in the climate change problem by engaging as much as possible with the solutions we have at hand to reduce carbon footprints. An initiative that can be adopted at many Maldives hotels with the implementation of greener measures to reduce waste and use resources responsibly.

Image by : Chen Qu, on Flickr.

Throughout the following days, the SLOWLIFE Symposium with the theme "Progressive Solutions for Future Tourism" will continue to discuss the future of tourism, the carbon footprint for holidays to the Maldives and how the travel industry can be made more sustainable in a carbon-constrained world. Chief Executive and Founder of the prestigious brand of Six Senses Resorts and Spa, Sonu Shivdasani, whose hotel company is deeply committed to the environment and currently hosting the SLOWLIFE Symposium, said: "At Soneva Fushi, we are committed to decarbonise by 2013. We are determined to provide the roadmap for others travel and tourism companies to follow – both here in the Maldives and worldwide."

About the Author

Orlando Consuegra has worked on the Cuba holiday industry from its very begining, initially as a Tour Guide for Saga and Kuoni, he travelled the island helping thousands of holiday makers to make the most for their holiday in Cuba.

Praised by many as one of the best tour guides in Cuba, both for his impeccable knowledge and his very correct manners, Orlando got promoted to Guides Coordinator in the Cubanacan Travel Agency. During this period Orlando helped organise fam trips for European tour operators as part of the insertion of Cuba in the world's holiday industry.

Promoted again as General Supervisor of The Holiday Place in Cuba, Orlando helped build very strong relationships with all the hotels in Cuba while enforcing a very high level of service and attention to all company's clients.

Orlando writes a blog "Know Cuba holidays like Us" at The Cuba Experience website where he shares his deep knowledge in Cuba and its holiday industry.

Seychelles and La Reunion Tourism Officials Sign Partnership Agreement

The CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board and the President de la Region of La Reunion Island signed an agreement in Paris last week which will see a closer working relationship between the two Indian Ocean islands' tourist boards.

The partnership will see both holidays to La Reunion and Seychelles holidays promoted as the two Indian Ocean islands will be highlighted as a destination for twin-centre breaks for international tourists.

During the signing ceremony at Top Resa in Paris, Mr. Alain St.Ange spoke about the concept of twin centre holidays to the Indian Ocean between the two idyllic islands, and said that the "Swiss-like mountains" of La Reunion and the pristine white sand beaches and the azure ocean waters of the Seychelles are an attractive combination for travellers.

The six-point agreement includes the exchange of know-how information, the development of joint marketing schemes, actions, and regular meetings to monitor the progress of the partnership.

After the signing ceremony, Mr. St.Ange, head of the Seychelles Tourism Board, addressed the press and said: "Like La Reunion where Mr. Didier Robert, the President de la Region, personally holds the tourism portfolio, in Seychelles it is also Mr. James Michel, the President of the Republic, who also holds the tourism portfolio, giving tourism the highest possible recognition and showing clearly the importance of this industry for the two islands."

There has been a significant increase in travellers booking Seychelles holidays this year after Prince William and his wife Kate chose the Indian Ocean island as the destination for their honeymoon.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stayed at one of the most luxurious Seychelles hotels on the private North Island resort in May this year and even though most tourists might not be able to afford the couple's £4,000 per night accommodation, there are plenty of other more affordable but still upscale all inclusive Seychelles hotels and resorts to choose from.

The nation spans over an archipelago of more of 115 islands that boast breathtaking natural landscapes including rolling green hills and forests, palm-fringed white sand beaches, turquoise ocean waters and colourful coral reefs.

About the Author

Born in Cuba and having lived and studied in London for over 5 years, Susana is a recent university graduate with a passion for travel who has taken much inspiration from the exotic destination she has visited throughout the years.

Upon graduating she has ultimately come to join an important UK tour operator specialised in Cuba holidays to share her love for travel with holidaymakers as the company's very own travel reporter and news editor. Her interest in the tourism industry was formed from a very early age, following her father's footsteps, a travel representative and manager, who worked for Cuba's national air carrier and whose travelling job was also the reason she found herself travelling from an early age and living in different parts of the world with her family.

Having travelled extensively herself, throughout her home country in Cuba, Europe and other faraway destinations in Asia and the Middle East, including exotic hot spots like China and Egypt, she continues to nourish and build upon her tourism knowledge to bring our travel readers with a fresh outlook on the latest happenings in the holiday industry.