Maldivian resorts are leading the charge with tech-driven sustainable initiatives to safeguard the environment they inhabit. Today, resorts are actively giving back to nature, embracing renewable energy, and combating environmental degradation through innovative technological solutions.
Sustainable travel has evolved beyond a trend to become an integral part of the tourism industry, with technology playing a crucial role. Resorts are utilising solar power, advanced recycling systems, and drone surveillance to minimise their ecological footprint. Resorts are setting a new standard for responsible tourism, showing that luxury and environmental stewardship can coexist harmoniously.
Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Maldives, partners with Swimsol to launch the Maldives’ largest floating solar park, a 1,080 kWp SolarSea system. This initiative aligns with IHCL’s ESG+ framework – Paathya. The SolarSea system, combined with a battery, enables the resort to operate entirely on renewable energy, saving 475,000 litres of diesel annually and reducing carbon emissions by 1,200 tons per year.
The Sustainability Lab at Sirru Fen Fushi addresses the pressing issue of single-use plastics in the region’s flourishing tourism industry. By converting plastic waste from beaches and oceans into souvenirs and useful items, the lab has processed over 725 kg of plastic, significantly reducing the resort’s environmental impact. Additionally, it serves as a recycling hub for the atoll, involving nearby communities in sustainability efforts and educating guests about conservation.
The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, employs drone technology to monitor and combat ocean plastics, notably ghost nets, in partnership with British PhD researcher Melissa Schiele. The programme initiated to safeguard the fragile ecosystem facilitated the removal of 19 ghost nets weighing 1100kg in 2023. Through 751 drone flights, critical research on plastic accumulation and wildlife monitoring has been conducted, revealing 21 ocean species.
Sea Hub of Environmental Learning in Laamu (SHELL) at Six Senses Laamu houses a marine laboratory that has grown over ten thousand baby corals and released over 12 million coral larvae onto the resort’s house reef. The turtle genetics project has identified and registered over 1,000 turtles and 140 manta rays in Laamu Atoll.
Soneva Fushi has formed strategic alliances with organisations, including the NGO Save Our Seas, the Olive Ridley Project, and the International Pole & Line Foundation. Collaborating with the Soneva Foundation, the resort annually propagates 150,000 corals, utilising Mineral Accretion Technology (MAT) in one of the world’s largest coral nurseries onsite. In 2023, the resort unveiled the Maldives’ inaugural coral spawning and rearing lab, accompanied by 28 micro-fragmenting tanks.
Feature photo: The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands – Jean-Michel Cousteau – Ocean Drone X
