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SUSTAINABLE TOURISM


VAL KEMPADOO After involvement in both the media and politics, social reformer and


entrepreneur Valmiki Kempadoo has decided that hospitality is the way to create a sustainable future for the Caribbean. He talks to Kath Hudson


W


ith a mix of hotels, villas, spa and golf, Kittitian Hill, on the Caribbean island of


St Kitts, might sound like a regular, albeit luxury, holiday resort. But look closer and it becomes evident that this is a game changer on many levels. It’s the manifestation of the philoso-


phy of its founder Valmiki Kempadoo, who has been an organic farmer, land- scape gardener, horticulturist, founded a tv station and formed two political parties. He believes tourism is the best vehicle for change and the best way of creating a sustainable future for the Caribbean. The fi rst phase of the US$500m


development, which started in 2010, is opening in December this year. It will include Belle Mont Farm, a collection of 84 farmhouses and a four bedroom suite; an ‘edible’ golf course, Irie Fields (more on this later), a fi tness centre, bar and restaurant, as well as a clubhouse. By the end of 2015, the site will also have a spa, a farm-to-table restaurant, a conference centre and a central village, which will be the hub of the resort.


Valmiki Kempadoo has always had a strong interest in sustainability 46 Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital


THE CONCEPT Kempadoo has tried to bring about change in the Caribbean in many ways, but after winning an election he became disillusioned, believing that while the government had changed, the politics had not. “I asked myself, what can give us signifi cant and lasting change for a sustainable future? It’s a very young society, with a disturbed past,” he says. “Tourism is the single largest driver for the region, but the business


ISSUE 3 2014 © cybertrek 2014


ThE DiSrUpToRs


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