This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM


a leaf wrap being developed. “There won’t be Himalayan salt


scrubs: we’ll be using local sea salt to make our own salt scrubs,” says Kempadoo. “We’ll be planting the botanicals on our own farm and organi- cally producing our own oils and mixes.” There will be 16 treatment rooms and four specialist rooms, all designed in vernacular Kittitian style. Other features include meditation gardens and a self-guided walk to encourage people to wind down and immerse themselves in nature. There will also be a hyper saline


pool, hot and cold water treatments in pools, a steamroom, and a ‘yoga cathedral,’ made purely out of bamboo. The spa and the hotels will be run


by Sedona Resorts. “We spent a while looking for a hotel operator that would be willing to operate a hotel without imposing their brand on it, and that also fitted with the philosophy,” says Kempadoo. “I sought a partner that would take the same care that I’d put into the development of the resort, and would run the hospitality with that same level of care.”


AFFLUENT LIBERALS Affluent liberals have been identified as the main target market for this hol- iday experience, and New York and London have large concentrations of this demographic. “We didn’t start by identifying a target market and then developing a concept,” explains


50


Kempadoo. “We started with a vision and then went out to find resonance. The group of people we’re aiming for are metropolitan and wealthy, but not mainstream conservative wealthy. “They are progressive, edgy, arty: filmmakers and advertising executives. They go to the Tate Modern, eat in farm-to-table restaurants and like art, culture and travel.” People from this demographic are seeking authentic experiences, says Kempadoo. They don’t want to have a holiday which they feel is imposed on a destination, but want to feel inte- grated and meet the local people. They would rather spend their money on


Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital


The architecture, landscape and interior design are by architect Bill Bensley and have been inspired by traditional St Kittitian architecture. Local contractors are being used


experiences than material posses- sions. “We believe experience will be the new luxury,” he says. “Gucci and Prada handbags belong to the past and conservative affluent people.” When the development is fully up


and running, Kempadoo plans to focus on creating the Kittitian Hill Institute, a place of higher and aspirational think- ing, with a significant Caribbean library, an art gallery and a place where peo- ple can meet and debate. Kittitian Hill has already attracted the attention of other Caribbean gov- ernments who are keen to do similar projects, working with their own peo- ple as opposed to relying on external sources to develop their islands. However, the main aim of this project, and what will mark it out as being a success in Kempadoo’s eyes, is whether or not it can bring about the change he desires: a legacy he’s inherited from his father, who also worked with NGO movements around the world specialising in rural develop- ments and intercultural relations. “My father taught me that societies are changed one person at a time,” he says. “Change is slow and takes time and resources,” he says.º l


ISSUE 3 2014 © cybertrek 2014


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84