By launching Soneva Fushi in 1995, Sonu Shivdasani began the trend of back-to-nature luxury holidays. His vision and commitment to sustainability and luxury redefined tourism in the Maldives, making it a premier destination promoting slow life. He tells Travel+Leisure India & South Asia about his journey so far and the challenges faced along the way.
Excerpts from the interview with Sonu Shivdasani:
T+L India: Tell us about your journey to the Maldives.
Sonu Shivdasani: I first visited the Maldives with Eva (his wife) in 1987 and fell in love with the place. There was pure ice-coloured water and aquamarine lagoons with little blobs of sand scattered as far as the eye could see. We kept returning. However, at one point we realised that we needed to become more involved as the resorts that existed [on the island] were poor in both sustainability and standards of service and quality. We opened Soneva Fushi in 1995 to redefine luxury hospitality with the purpose of environmental sustainability.
T+L India: What were the challenges you faced in creating a sustainable resort in the middle of an island?
Sonu Shivdasani: We faced challenges to get funding for the construction. One of the reasons for this was that we refused to build hundreds of rooms and aim for the low-end mass market, which was the norm in the Maldives at that time. We opted to build a limited number of villas—42 initially—despite being situated on one of the largest islands in the Maldives. Additionally, we built a spa, which was also unusual at that time. It took four years to raise the funding and construct the resort. Our focus on low volume, high quality, and high-end clientele was a conscious decision. What attracted us to the Maldives was its natural beauty and we knew that to preserve that, one needed to limit the number of people coming.
T+L India: Tell us about the sustainable practices that came about over time.
Sonu Shivdasani: Soneva Namoona, which we launched in 2019, aims to solve a problem that has bedevilled the Maldives for a generation—how to properly dispose waste. With Soneva Namoona, our aim is to create a blueprint for empowered zero-waste communities in the Maldives, centred around the three core components of ‘Reduce, Recycle and Inspire’, and grounded in the reality of the challenges and opportunities that are unique to local islands. In February 2020, we celebrated another first in the Maldives—Maalhos became the first island in the country to end the practice of burning its garbage in open bonfires. This was made possible by the opening of the island’s Eco Centro Waste-to-Wealth Centre, funded by Soneva. It is a waste-processing facility that sorts the waste into different types such as plastic, glass, tin, and wood. It compacts, crushes, and chips it where possible, and sends it off the island for recycling.
T+L India: What’s the road ahead for you?
Sonu Shivdasani: Our new resort that opens at the end of the year will run 95 per cent on renewables. Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani will be at a little over 50 per cent. Certainly, by 2030, all three resorts will be decarbonising in their operations even though we have been carbon neutral as an organisation since 2010.
Mindful Mentions by Sonu Shivdasani
What is Soneva’s core philosophy? We have pledged to protect the biodiversity and habitats on and around our resorts.
What does slow life mean to you? Sustainable. Local. Organic. Wholesome. Learning. Inspiring. Fun. Experiences.
Related: The Key To Going Big With Minimalist Living, As Decoded By Climate Activist Aakash Ranison
Written By
Chirag Mohanty Samal
Senior EditorShe has more than 15 years of experience in lifestyle journalism. She started off her career on the news desk of national dailies but her notions majorly shaped by Jane Austen and Emily Bronte were a deviant in the world of hard news. Like Sherlock Holmes drawn by the whiff of fresh mystery or like Bertie Wooster inadvertently and persistently seeking ..Read More
