The travel world increasingly talks about eco-friendly resorts, green hotels, environmentally friendly hotels, or sustainable hotels… a variety of words used to describe essentially the same thing.
Let us help you choose your future travel destinations by clarifying exactly what makes a hotel eco-friendly.
Firstly, when you look into the definitions of some of these keywords you see a common theme: preservation. An eco-friendly hotel should make sure, first and foremost, that its existence does not have a negative impact on its environment. Here are just three definitions, courtesy of Oxford Languages:
Interestingly, none of these definitions mention that a hotel can actually have a positive impact on its environment. For us, what makes a hotel eco-friendly is not only making sure it doesn’t inflict any harm on the environment – but also making a difference for the better.
Here at Bawah Reserve, preservation is at the basis of our mission statement:
As guardians of a pristine natural reserve, we embrace an Earth-first philosophy where guests have an authentic experience and feel restored in our faraway paradise. Bawah will change you.”
In order to be truly “eco-friendly”, however, top sustainable hotels like Bawah Reserve need to have an active commitment to travel sustainability and to sustainability programs that also improve their environment.
It’s also at the heart of the vision of Travalyst, a new non-profit coalition of key global travel
players that promotes the concept of travel as a catalyst for good and recognises that travellers
want to have a positive impact.
Travalyst’s goals include protecting wildlife, preserving the environment, relieving pressure on
overcrowded travel destinations, and promoting thriving communities. Along with these goals, it
focuses on how travel can be used for good, and that the impact of travel should be positive and
long-lasting. This group, which now includes Google, is working on standardised ways to calculate sustainability. For example, Google Flights now lets you see the carbon emissions associated with each flight:
Waste reduction, sustainably sourced materials, energy efficiency, and water conservation are all
a great start and you can read further about Bawah’s commitment to these goals here:
Like the other best eco-hotels out there, we at Bawah Reserve will continue taking our efforts to the next level this year. In line with hotel sustainability trends in 2022, we will be working even
harder to make a positive impact by improving, increasing, and enriching – for example:
Improving coral reef health
Increasing our natural flora and fauna
Improving the quality of life for local communities
Growing food onsite, sourcing food locally, and increasing the number of plant-based
menu options
Reducing carbon footprint (going beyond neutral!)
Working with local governments and foundations to bring about positive change
Rest assured that here at Bawah we continue to push the boundaries of sustainable tourism – not
accepting preservation as the norm, but striving for positive impact in all we do.