Responsible Travel in the Maldives

The Maldives is one of Asia’s top beach holiday destinations, with a paradise reputation that 100% delivers on expectations: it’s gorgeous. However, the single-island-resort tourism that is standard in the archipelago can feel very detached from its culture, history and ecology. Happily, there is a model for more sustainable travel in the Maldives, where the ‘give and take’ between visitors and destination feels balanced. Think locally-run hotels, community connections, hands-on conservation and high-priority environmental responsibility, with just as much breathtaking beachtime as before. Ruth, our partner in this picture-perfect part of the world, gave us her insider’s view of responsible travel in the Maldives…

What does responsible travel in the Maldives look like?

“A key role for those of us working in responsible travel in the Maldives is around advocacy, education and awareness. We want our guests to leave with a better understanding of the culture and history of the country, and of travelling responsibly in a wider context. Our biggest challenge is that the Maldives is known for its single-island resorts - that’s what many people perceive the destination to be about - and resort development is happening continuously, which can mean a lot of reclamation of land from the sea, especially in the area nearest to the capital.

Properties in the Maldives aren’t currently measured nationally against any sustainability criteria; for this reason, we introduced our guest house audit many years ago to support our local partner properties on their sustainability journey. This includes everyday things, such as signage reminding guests to turn off their air conditioning and use linen for more than one day if possible, to bigger aspects, such as overall energy consumption and employment of a local workforce.

The few sustainability regulations that are in place in the Maldives aren’t always adhered to, and can be difficult to police. For example, it’s illegal to feed sharks and rays, but it is still carried out because properties and operators feel it’s an experience that guests are demanding. If visitors don’t ask for these experiences for social media posts, it will assist in discouraging them from being offered. We can help by educating people about the reasons behind avoiding these practices, and guests can take on the role of the ‘activist’ so that those in the industry, from governments to local operators, start to listen to (and offer) what the traveller wants at a responsible level. It’s about asking the right questions, and choosing the right operator or property. There are no other operators like us in the region yet - what we offer is still pretty unique - but I would rather see more operators driving sustainability!”

How can travellers connect with the culture when staying on local islands?

“The benefits of travelling with a local guide are huge. They can open local doors for you and bring real cultural engagement, whether that’s through a community event, working with an NGO, or visiting the home of a local family. It is encouraging to see that some local island properties have begun to add food experiences to their excursion offer, but there is still a significant opportunity to encourage greater local engagement through cultural experiences.

All local guest houses and excursion providers offer the more ‘traditional’ Maldives holiday activities - snorkelling, sandbanks and sunset cruises - and these still play an important part in the guest experience. However, the key is to shifting to a more responsible model, including the use of responsible snorkelling briefings, following marine life codes of conduct, and operating smaller groups in areas that are popular for ‘bucket list’ experiences such as snorkelling with whale sharks”

Which community engagement, environmental and cultural initiatives do work with?

“We’ve been working with an NGO called Save the Beach since 2015. They work on coral conservation projects across the archipelago, and are involved in scientific research in partnership with universities and other scientific organisations. Seeing their influence grow across the Maldives over the years, and helping them get further exposure, has been amazing - the organisation’s co-founder, Beybe, has quite a global following these days!

We also collaborate with Women’s Development Councils across the islands. These council committees (led by the women of an island) are getting involved in the travel industry through offering cookery experiences and classes, and the income they generate goes straight back to their communities.

We partner with local marine life organisations, including Maldives Whale Shark Research Program and Olive Ridley Project, assisting them with financial contributions and on the ground support with projects and expeditions. We’ve recently partnered with Manta Trust, who launched their RahVeshi Program last year which focuses on three new locally-based projects. These focus on upskilling residents of local islands to take on research and database monitoring, as well as doing outreach education within communities and schools.

All visitors to the Maldives can contribute to marine conservation and research by uploading pictures of manta rays, turtles, sharks and whale sharks to a central ID database. This helps maintain up-to-date records of which species are active in which areas. We’ve even had guests who have identified turtles not previously ID’d in the Maldives, and they’re been able to assist in naming them! Beach cleans, coral planting and tree planting are also really tangible ways of our clients helping on the ground. I think people can forget that many NGOs are quite small and unable to cover the entire archipelago, so citizen science and individual input can really make a difference.”

How can visitors maximise the sustainability of their Maldives stay? Are there things they should be doing more of, or not doing?

“Bringing reef friendly sunscreen is a big one, as is removing as much packaging from anything you bring before you travel, especially plastics. We can recycle some plastic in the Maldives through Parley Maldives - an international organisation that takes the plastic out of the Maldives and recycles it into trainers and sports equipment - so most islands collect single-use plastic for this, but taking packaging, containers and batteries home is really helpful; having extra unwanted materials to deal with can put a big burden on these islands. Being mindful that water and energy aren’t in unlimited supply is important, too, and being efficient with your use of them.

Contributing as directly as possible to the local economy has an instantly positive impact, as over 90% of traditional island resort revenue leaves the country. This had a particularly devastating effect during Covid, as not only did the country lose its tourism footfall, but there was very little in-country revenue to fall back on. You have to choose where you stay wisely, even on local islands. As local tourism has developed over the last 13 to 14 years, people from outside the area have bought and built hotels on local islands, and many employ workers from outside the country. Our properties are all locally owned, or jointly-run by locals and foreigners who live in the area, and we encourage them to employ staff from the surrounding community. When you stay on local islands, your travel spend goes straight into the community via local cafes, excursion providers, transfer vessels and vendors, too.

Be selective about the kinds of souvenirs you buy, avoiding cheap, mass-produced items that have been imported, or anything made from coral or shell. Harvesting those last two materials for commercial use can seriously damage marine ecology. There’s a thriving artisan community in the Maldives, and buying their hand-crafted work to take home is an excellent way to directly support the local economy. Take the opportunity when browsing to have conversations with people too - Maldivians are very welcoming and hospitable, and love to chat if you make the first move!

It’s key to understand and respect local dress standards. As the Maldives is a Muslim country, it is about dressing considerately - covering shoulders and the top of chests, especially when away from the tourist areas and bikini beaches of a local island. It’s one of those unwritten rules, so there aren’t many direct guidelines for visitors, and the locals don’t like to challenge people. It’s very much up to the individual to make themselves aware. Just having a sarong or shawl to wrap around your shoulders when the occasion arises is a good idea.”

What’s your favourite aspect of life in the Maldives?

“What brought me to the Maldives originally was the marine life and the diving, and that is still very special, but for me it’s all about exploring - there are a lot of local islands that I still haven’t visited yet! I came here many times as a visitor before settling, because I love it so much, and it’s important to me that now I feel like I’m giving something back. We’re just a small operator trying to work sustainably, but when I stop and think about what we do, we are making a difference. We’re making ripples and hopefully they’ll match up with other people’s ripples to make an even greater impact.”

by Guest Author on 17th July 2024