TAVARUA ISLAND RESORT GETS STOKED FOR THE FIJI PRO
SAN DIEGO, California, June 11, 2015 (Newswire.com) - Tavarua Island Resort has joined an elite group of international surf resorts that have passed the rigorous sustainable tourism assessment by STOKE Certified—the world’s first sustainability certification program to focus exclusively on surf and snow resorts.
Tavarua was the first to be benchmarked by the STOKE Surf Criteria in 2012 and they have been building their sustainability management system to meet the STOKE Surf standards ever since. After undergoing an intensive onsite evaluation against 142 criteria and 326 sustainability indicators, Tavarua achieved a compliance score of 83%. This makes Tavarua the fourth surf resort in the world, and the second in Fiji, to be awarded STOKE’s certification designation at the ‘Sustainable’ level.
As Tavarua is home to some of the best waves in the world, including Cloudbreak and Restaurants—the two main arenas for the Fiji Pro—guests can surf easy knowing that their trip is part of the solution to global and local challenges to sustainability and not part of the problem. In an effort to conserve these precious surfing resources, Tavarua maintains their moorings which mitigate impacts on coral from dropping anchor and they work with the Mamanuca Environment Society to test ocean water quality around the island.
Enhancing the livelihoods of locals in the nearby villages of Nabila and Momi has been a central focus. The resort has built 44 homes, three churches, and two schools, along with providing electricity, running water, and septic tanks. Tavarua also funds scholarships for primary, secondary, and tertiary students in addition to flying their staff internationally for life saving procedures when necessary.
Tavarua is the only resort in the world that is 100% compliant with STOKE’s cultural heritage sustainability criteria. By integrating Fijian culture into every aspect of the resort, Tavarua supports local heritage conservation and enables guests to have authentic cultural experiences and form real and lasting relationships with local people.
Resort management has been busy moving away from single-use plastic water bottles to reusable Mizu containers; expanding their rainwater harvesting and storage capacity; using reclaimed wood for renovations; and upgrading commercial restaurant equipment for energy efficiency gains. Tavarua has further improved their already state of the art Aerobic Sand Filter wastewater treatment plant (first in Fiji) with the latest For Earth biotreatment technology. As they focus their attention on implementing renewable energy, Tavarua has offset their entire carbon footprint for 2015 via CarbonFund’s Valparaiso Amazon Avoided Deforestation Project in the interim.
“Tavarua was founded on principles of incorporating sustainability into everything we do and STOKE has provided a wealth of information and guidance with current and recent initiatives. They are so thorough and systematic in their approach and have helped us create a comprehensive sustainability management system that guides day to day operations and our choices moving forward. We are STOKED to be recognised for the past work we’ve done with our Fijian family, and also for our continued efforts with STOKE to protect the home we call Tavarua.” Dylan Fish, General Manager of Tavarua, stated.
STOKE Certified co-founder Dr. Jess Ponting added, “We are proud to welcome Tavarua to our stable of world leading sustainable surf resorts. Tavarua was the world’s first real surf resort and from the outset things have been done with a spirit of respect for Fijian culture. Over the years the resort has done more for its surrounding communities than any other resort I am aware of. Resort management has really dug deep over the past few years to bring all elements of the operation into alignment with STOKE’s sustainability criteria, there is still a way to go but 83% compliant across the board is an incredible result.”
Tavarua sits in the Mamanuca group of islands, a few miles west of Fiji’s main island Viti Levu—an area world renowned for having some of the best waves in the world. With 8 surf breaks within 20 minutes from the resort, there are all types of waves for every surfing ability along with snorkeling, fishing, SUP’ing, and cultural activities available so anyone can enjoy what this heart-shaped island in the Pacific has to offer.
For an interactive display of Tavarua’s sustainability initiatives, visit their STOKE Certified profile here: http://www.stokecertified.com/members/tavarua-island-resort/.
About STOKE Certified
Founded by Carl Kish and Dr. Jess Ponting, STOKE (Sustainable Tourism Operator’s Kit for Evaluation) Certified is the world’s first sustainability certification program specific to surf and ski tourism. In addition to verifying the legitimacy of sustainability claims by operators and providing transparency for the public through its certification program, STOKE offers additional services for operators to enhance their sustainability management system including consulting, marketing, and project management services. STOKE has member properties in Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands and the Coral Coast, the Mentawai Islands, Costa Rica, Liberia, Panama, the Telo Islands, the Philippines, and Hawaii. For more information, go to http://stokecertified.com/.
