Praslin, Seychelles, July 24, 2022 / TRAVELINDEX / Set in the heart of the Indian Ocean in one of the world’s last untouched frontiers, Blue Safari Seychelles has signed the UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge, which aims to promote sustainable travel, community resilience, and cultural heritage conservation globally. Blue Safari is developing its pioneering new style of experiential travel with active conservation and preservation of this pristine region at its heart. Created in 2019, the UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge now has more than 4,200 hotels and travel companies worldwide which have committed to its stringent standards.
Sustainable travel can make this growth of awareness a reality. The UNESCO travel pledge does that by encouraging the five themes of community engagement, energy conservation, water conservation, waste reduction, and single-use plastic reduction. The sustainable pledge is a way for travel companies to publicly commit to the actions they can take to protect local cultures and the natural environment surrounding them.
Central to Blue Safari’s philosophy is its belief in the importance of expanding our horizons through the unique experiences on offer at the secluded Outer Islands in which it operates. Blue Safari provides a unique access point to the rest of the Outer Islands while creating bespoke adventures on land and sea.
Preserving the present to protect the future is a crucial component of enabling people to continue the never-ending journey of exploration and inspiration. Blue Safari believes this alone has the power to connect people with the diverse eco-systems of the sea- and landscapes, and to drive the deep reflection that ultimately creates life-changing perspectives.
Keith Rose-Innes, MD and co-founder of Blue Safari Seychelles commented: “We are proud to sign the UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge in a collaborative effort to preserve the precious ecosystems that make up the Outer Islands for future generations. When we started Blue Safari Seychelles in 2018, we wanted visitors to experience the unique wildlife of this corner of the Indian Ocean close-up, while also investing in conservation through establishing a foundation for each of our four Outer Islands.”
“Our destinations are the most enchanting atolls of the 72 in the Outer Islands. Each guest that stays with us donates $30 a day to the islands’ three foundations, we generate substantial fundraising through trip auctions and donations, we also donate 0.25 percent of our turnover to conservation.”
Blue Safari has also taken the lead in ensuring the company is run as sustainably as possible. Guests will only eat the freshest ingredients, with fish consumption being of that caught only on the island using sustainable methods and 80 percent of the fruit and vegetables grown on Alphonse Island.
“The islands we operate on are self-sustainable,” adds Rose-Innes. “I hope that others will join in signing the UNESCO pledge to make this an industry-wide commitment to ensure we are doing our utmost to protect and conserve our irreplaceable natural world in its fragile eco-system and rehabilitate the indigenous landscapes to make sure our human footprint is a light as possible.”
The UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge is free to join and provides a certificate relevant to the entire travel industry whether large or small-scale operators. By signing the Pledge, properties publicly commit to actions that will reduce the environmental impact of their businesses, raising awareness among travellers and helping them make more sustainable travel choices to bring about positive change.
Blue Safari’s philosophy is a combination of sustainable travel with luxury accommodation, where guests can be assured of unforgettable experiences combined with the highest level of attentive service, whilst keeping conservation at the forefront of what we do.