Responsible Tourism

 

 

Philosophy

 

The  philosophy of the retreat is the belief that a luxury holiday experience can be compatible with 'responsible tourism'.  Responsible tourism is about making environmentally friendly, sustainable, ethical and respectful choices to minimise the negative impact of tourism in the host country. Hidden Cove Eco Retreat prides itself that its tented style of accommodation and facilities has been designed and developed as a true eco-retreat and as such sits lightly within its environment. Our guiding principles  are in line with the Responsible Tourism Code for the Pacific.

 

We minimise environmental impact by;

 

1. Responsible building choices

  • Use of plantation timber and local renewable materials eg. bamboo, thatch and stone harvested from the plantation  to preserve to local hardwood species.
  •  Raised decks that are built around trees and over roots
  • Hybrid solar/wind generated power
  • Biological treatment of wastewater with limited energy
    consumption and with priority protection of the ground water
  • Green rated detergents, cleaning and bathroom
    products
  • Composting and re-use of green waste
  • Minimal use of imported and pre-packaged
    products
  • Passive building design - cooled by trees and sea breezes not air-conditioning

 

 2. We protect the coral on our doorstep

 

 

HCR has worked with the custom owner in raising the awareness of value of the offshore reef and its inhabitants as a long term investment in sustainable tourism. The custom owner responded by placing a ban on fishing on the reef with marked increase in fish numbers.

We ask our guests employ a “look but don’t ”touch approach while enjoying the coral gardens both within the vicinity of Hidden Cove.

 

3. We Support local initiatives –

 

  • Hidden Cove Eco-Retreat supports small business iniatives by Ni-Vanuatu such as;  locally run tours e.g.  Millennium Cave Tour, Butterfly & Bird Tour, diving, fishing,  health and beauty businesses such as mobile massage. We do not take commission from any tour operators.
  • Organically grown fruit and vegetables are sourced through the local markets , fresh seafood from the
    fisherman and organic beef through the local small business. We buy with first preference to local products and avoid excessive and wasteful packaging.

 

4. We pay a fair price to our suppliers, staff and the Government.

 

  • Hidden Cove Eco-Retreat is a resident of Vanuatu. All revenue from overseas bookings are directed into a Vanuatu bank account and re-invested in the Country.
  • Local staff are permanently employed with full benefits of superannuation etc. 
  • Although we assist with booking your tours or health and beauty treatments we ask that you pay the business operator directly – we do not take any commission.
  • Please note that shops, markets and taxis have a set price and bargaining is not part of the culture.

 

5. We think about our impact-.

  • Hidden Cove Eco- Retreat encourage our guests to read the responsible tourism code. A full copy of the code can be found at https://www.responsibletourism.org.nz/introduction.html
  • We endeavour to educate our supplers, tour operators and staff to be respectful of the environment and the culture and laws of Vanuatu.