LAST WORD 98
do not have access to clean water, and over 30 per cent of these don’t even have access to basic sanitation. Shockingly, every 20 seconds a child dies of a water- related disease. In fact, diseases from unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. These sobering statistics cannot be ignored. In September, we will announce the launch of THE-Water Campaign (
the-water.com/the-water. org). This is a breathtakingly simple global initiative for the tourism and hospitality industries. It will generate vital revenue to help make this basic human right a reality for many more people. Our industry has a responsibility to address this problem, as tourists and travellers often consume more water than the local residents, and we are well placed to do so. THE-Water Campaign says “no” to imported, branded bottled water, which uses unnecessary food miles and wasteful packaging, and supports instead the development of a profi table, sustainable alternative where 10 per cent of the proceeds go to clean water funds. Collectively, we have the potential to generate as much as US$1 Billion annually, if every property in the top 10 hotel/resort groups participates in the scheme. Imagine how much more could be raised if they were joined by other leading hotels, resorts, restaurants and spa destinations across the globe? Sometimes it’s the simple ideas that are the most effective. The seed for THE-Water Campaign was sown at last year’s SLOW LIFE Symposium at our Soneva Fushi Resort in the Maldives, following the success of our own scheme. We had decided a few years previously that the growing practice of providing ‘water menus’ at luxurious resorts and hotels was ridiculous. It added no value to the guest experience and created a whole raft of problems. So, in 2008, we banned branded imported bottled waters and changed over to triple-fi ltered tap water which was bottled on-site in glass recyclable bottles, with contributions from the proceeds going to a Clean Water Fund. We have never looked back. Today, THE-Water Campaign plans to upscale this idea by asking participating hotels, spas, resorts
Call to action I
t is a basic right to have access to clean water and, sadly, we live in a world where this is not the case. While most of us don’t even have to think about this issue, almost one billion people
Sonu Shivdasani
Nearly one billion people in the world today do not have access to clean drinking water. Chairman and CEO of Soneva Sonu Shivdasani announces the launch of THE-Water Campaign, a global initiative that plans to change this statistic
“Diseases from unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war”
and restaurants that join the campaign to bottle and sell their own fi ltered tap water. They would donate 10 per cent of their proceeds to the Clean Water Fund and all the money raised will directly fund clean drinking water projects in developing nations. THE-Water Campaign is a real opportunity for us all to make a difference. It gives us a way to meet the needs of our guests while also helping millions of less fortunate people, with surprisingly little effort. Together, we could solve the world’s water crisis.
Sonu Shivdasani is the Founder of Six Senses Resorts & Spas and Chairman and CEO of Soneva. Under his care, the group grew to 41 spas and 26 resorts. Sonu and his wife, Eva, coined the
concept of ‘barefoot and intelligent luxury’, which recognises the ability for luxury holiday resorts to co-exist with and care for the environment. After the recent sale of Six Senses, Sonu and Eva are now focusing their attention on developing the Soneva concept, and supporting THE Water Campaign through their Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust. For more information about THE Water Campaign visit
www.the-water.com /
www.the-water.org or email karena@krfi
lms.com
european spa |
www.europeanspamagazine.com
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