Patrons of the CaranaBeach Hotel on Mahé in the Seychelles are being asked to safeguard the ocean and its inhabitants, each and every time they order a drink.
And they’ll do so by refusing to drink from a straw. Or at the very least, by enjoying the use of a biodegradable version supplied by the hotel.
CaranaBeach launched a “Refuse the Straw” initiative to commemorate its 2nd anniversary on the 21st April, with artwork positioned around its bar and restaurant areas promoting the concept that to refuse a straw could mean saving the life of a sea turtle or other marine animals, according to CaranaBeach PR, Branding and Communication Manager Nicole Saint Ange.
“It’s not only about reducing the amount of waste that the hotel produces,” Saint Ange said. “It’s as much or even more about raising awareness about the overall impact of plastic on our oceans, and we hope that our guests will spread the message and reduce the use of plastic in their everyday lives once they are back home.”
As the campaign’s promotional information indicates, straws are made in minutes, and used in minutes, but take 200 years to break down, and even then they’re decomposed into tiny toxic particles that marine animals can ingest.
The hospitality group that owns CaranaBeach is extending the Refuse the Straw campaign to its other properties as well, on Denis Private Island and the Indian Ocean Lodge on Praslin.
Now heading into its third year after a successful 24 months in operation, CaranaBeach also plans to step up its environmental agenda in the coming months, which includes the Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label certification process, a national platform for hotels to adopt the best worldwide practices in sustainability.
The CaranaBeach declaration comes as Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label renewal for three hotels is announced…
The Tourism Department has renewed the Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label (SSTL) certification of three hotels – Cote d’Or Footprints and Constance Lemuria on Praslin and the Four Season Resort Seychelles at Baie Lazare.
The Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Maurice Loustau-Lalanne presented the SSTL certificates to the representatives of the three hotels on Thursday. This was during a short ceremony held at the ministry’s headquarters at Botanical House, Mont Fleuri. The Principal Secretary for Tourism, Anne Lafortune, and the Quality & Standards Officer at the Tourism Department, Janice Bristol, were also present. Minister Loustau-Lalanne commented on the importance for all industry stakeholders to keep on striving to maintain ecological principles. He congratulated the three hotels for their commitment in adopting reflective practices for the betterment of the local tourism industry.
Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label (SSTL) certificates are presented to hotels after they are found to be integrating sustainability practices in their business operation. Applicable to hotels of all sizes, the SSTL is a voluntary sustainable tourism management and certification programme, designed to encourage more efficient and sustainable ways of doing business.
To date, 15 hotels have obtained the certification.
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