2021 | A POSTCARD FROM… #BoutecoWorldStories on Instagram from no 63—66

Ibiza is <so> on our Green List — not just in terms of UK travel restrictions — but because Six Senses Ibiza is a brand new boutique eco hotel which stars on our #BoutecoLoves list and it’s the first boutique eco-retreat of its kind in the Balearics. And thanks to Six Senses generously planting hundreds of trees through out TreeSisters campaign we LOVE them even more. Perfectly poised on a cliff-top headland on Ibiza's more spiritual north coast we love that they have partnered with the Ibiza Preservation Foundation to support conservation projects on land and at sea, both in Ibiza and next door on little sister, Formentera. Beautiful photo by @rosierandisiphotography #Bouteco #Love #SixSenses #Ibiza #TreeSisters #GreenList

🇹🇿 POSTCARD FROM TANZANIA #BoutecoWorldStories no 75 from @thandaisland “Here, off the coast of East Africa, Thanda Island was closed to guests for four long months due to restrictive travel as a result of the pandemic. Thankfully Tanzania remained open, and we accommodated guests as soon as airlines started operating. While controversial, Tanzania never went into a lockdown. So far, it looks as if the country as a whole fared ok. Mafia Island, Thanda’s neighbour, didn't report any Covid deaths. Many Tanzanians kept their jobs. Thanda isn’t the island’s real name, it’s ShungimbiliIsland: but since Thanda means ‘love’ in the Zulu language it couldn’t be more representative. We've always believed that Thanda's ethos is LOVE — of excellent cuisine, of nature, of the environment. The Thanda experience makes guests fall in love with the island, its team, and it celebrates the love we share with our neighbouring communities. Thanda’s Swedish owners have always invested long term and have a deep commitment and genuine faith in entrepreneurship development. It’s the ‘can do’ spirit and taking responsibility that radiates from this speck of land in the ocean from its hosts including the resident marine biologist. Philanthropic projects include Star for Life, a 16-year programme to inspire schoolchildren to reach for their dreams while living healthy lives. Infrastructure development has included erosion-protection barriers, staff accommodation, planting of 200 palm trees, upgrading local schools on Mafia Island, where the Star for Life Tanzania soon launches. I'm excited about introducing Thanda Island entrepreneurship development to train and develop 30 new entrepreneurs a year for two years. We're committed to the preservation of the marine reserve and its ecosystem and inspiring locals to adopt sustainable fish harvesting practices. In collaboration with the NGO Sea Sense, Thanda Island has become a vital ambassador in Tanzania protecting endangered marine wildlife.” —Pierre Delvaux, Thanda Group CEO, Chairman Thanda Foundation & Star for Life Tanzania

🇩🇲 POSTCARD FROM DOMINICA #BoutecoWorldStories no 74 from @secretbay “A strong sense of community, small island resilience and an abundance of Caribbean optimism have always helped Dominica through the toughest of times. While the economic impact of Covid-19 has been felt across the island – from the smallest villages in the Kalinago Territory to the busy capital of Roseau – Dominica’s less-touristed location and sparse population has largely spared them the devastating human cost of the pandemic. Rated one of the top 15 Covid-19 recovering countries in the world, Dominica's seen minimal spread with less than 189 recorded cases, and a 100% recovery rate through strict testing, monitoring and treatment protocols. As international travel resumes, so does a desire for unique experiences that reconnect folks with friends, family, and themselves. And we crave nature and destinations that nurture the soul as well as body and mind. Secret Bay celebrates all that makes the 'Nature Island' special, existing at the intersection of luxury and sustainability on a lush clifftop setting on the outskirts of the northwestern town of Portsmouth. Private plunge pools, dedicated villa hosts, on-call concierge and treatments in a treetop spa await. Each villa was built by hand using sustainably sourced hardwood, ensuring minimal impact on the surrounding rainforest. Physical distancing is a term of these times, but it's always been a trait of Dominica. Find Unesco-listed national parks, volcanoes, waterfalls, white- and black-sand beaches, pristine rainforest to get lost in and a river for every day of the year. You can even swim with resident sperm whales – the island couldn't be a better tonic for combatting lockdown fatigue." — Dinesh Kissoon, General Manager, Secret Bay, Dominica

Marine biologists taking guests on guided snorkelling tours is always one of the most powerful ways to experience the magic of nature and the significance of saving it. Spend time with the Maldives’ magnificent marine life with @discoversoneva and swim with dolphins, rare hawksbill and green turtles which nest on and around their island resorts. It’s been a watery week of posts in honour of #WorldOceansDay thank you Soneva for your sea-saving inspiration 💙 #Soneva #BoutecoLoves #marineconservation #ocean #sea #nature #travel #water #photooftheday #water #snorkelling #marinebiology #Maldives #diving #luxurytravel #sustainableluxury #blue #OceanStewardship #scuba #worldoceansmonth #sustainability

We’re still feeling blue — in a good way. Dreaming about the Indian Ocean where #SonevaInAqua drops anchor at deserted islands inviting guests to head snorkelling in hidden coves or pause to relax on deck to watch the sun set on a watery horizon… World Oceans Day, every day. #Soneva #BoutecoLoves #marineconservation #ocean #sea #nature #travel #water #snorkelling #water #IndianOcean #sailing #Maldives #diving #luxurytravel #sustainableluxury #blue #superyacht #worldoceansday #worldoceansmonth

Ocean stewardship is always on our minds — all the more so this #WorldOceansDay2021 Feeling the love for @discoversoneva for working to empower the next generation in their Maldivian communities to love and conserve the surrounding sea through initiatives such as swimming lessons and surf competitions. Every day is #WorldOceanDay. #sonevaoceanstewards #Soneva #BoutecoLoves #marineconservation #ocean #sea #nature #travel #water #photooftheday #water #ecoluxury #Maldives #diving #luxurytravel #sustainableluxury #blue #OceanStewardship #worldoceansday #worldoceansmonth

Happy World Oceans Day y’all! 🌊 Shout out to all you sea-saving surfing superheroes 🏄🏾 Also: did you know Soneva runs Sustainable Surf Programmes at Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani? How cool is that? And how so, you ask... Well, it’s because all the equipment is eco-friendly and ocean safe — boards crafted from recycled materials, rash vests from ghost fishing nets, reef-friendly sunscreen and non-toxic board wax. We love @discoversoneva for always making waves when it comes to doing things the right way. #worldoceansday

In honour of World Oceans Day tomorrow, we’re reflecting on why the protection of our waters is so important, with our friends at @discoversoneva. Coral reefs are a vital marine ecosystem, providing habitat for over a quarter of the world’s sealife, globally more than 500 million people rely on them for sustenance, employment and coastal defence. Soneva has coral nurseries at Soneva Fushi, Soneva Jani and Soneva Kiri, with ambitious plans to restore local reef systems by propagating a whole hectare of coral per year at each resort. Wow. #WorldOceansDay #BoutecoLoves #sonevafushi #sonevajani #sonevakiri

2021

#63 POSTCARD FROM CHINA Consumer Crisis by Li Wentao, photographer @liwentaophoto, shortlisted in the Sony World Photography Awards as selected by @worldphotoorg, his images explore the relationship between man and nature by photographing industry’s impact on landscapes.

"According to a United Nations report, the world's population is expected to increase by two billion people in the next 30 years. We would need about three Earths to provide the natural resources needed to sustain our current state of life. The impact of consumerism on our environment is reflected in every aspect of our daily lives. This series explores the amazing human capacity to produce, circulate, and consume. The traces humans have left on the Earth show their influence on the natural world. We are almost oblivious to the extent to which we have transformed the face of the planet in order to satisfy human consumption needs. In this world where consumerism prevails, in the process of urbanisation and industrialisation, the environment is polluted and the ecology is destroyed. On the one hand, we rely on the consumption of natural resources because of consumption, on the other hand, we want to live in a healthy development of the earth, leaving room for future generations to live. To me, these images are a mirror of our times. These pictures reflect the contradictions of our time. These pictures reveal the dilemma of human life in the future.”

#64 POSTCARD (ALMOST) FROM IRELAND from @fionndavenport

“Ireland officially went into lockdown on 13 March 2020. Four days before St Patrick’s Day, the traditional kick-off to the tourist season that’s a huge contributor to the economy. Festivities were cancelled, and national nods of sensible approval followed, and the country set about the business of toughing out this strangest of years. ‘We are all in this together’ became the national refrain through multiple confinements and the hunkering moments of restricted inactivity.Like everyone else, I wait. I wait for the end of lockdowns. I wait in my house in Manchester, a teasing, 35-min hop across the Irish Sea from my hometown of Dublin. I wait to go back to the country I’ve been writing about for 30 years, a country that has changed dramatically in that time, from an isolated corner of northwestern Europe to a fully integrated participant in the great European experiment. I wait to get back to this small island with the huge reputation that scoffs dismissively at the tired clichés about 40 shades of green and traffic jams made of sheep, but lives up to them in the brooding loneliness of Connemara and the sun-speckled peninsulas of the southwest. I wait to return to the dramatic wildness of County Donegal and find myself staring into the sullen waters of the Atlantic Ocean.Ireland’s unvarnished informality, easy warmth and conviviality calls. A year on, since roads and pubs and restaurants became quiet, I wait for the day when I can return. When I can hand my burgundy-coloured Irish passport to an immigration officer, I’ve not met before, and they can give it the quick once-over, hand it back to me and say, 'Welcome home, Fionn'."

#65 POSTCARD FROM THE PHILIPPINES from climate activist Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines @mitzijonelle

"As a climate activist, being able to connect with nature is very important. Whenever my climate anxiety is consuming me, spending time outside in the sun surrounded by trees or near the ocean brings peace to my heart. This has been hampered by the pandemic and being forced indoors. It's crazy how the Covid-19 pandemic started because of humans encroaching on nature and us not caring for our planet, and so the health pandemic isn't so separated from the fight for our planet. Our planet and biodiversity is so important not just for our mental health and our enjoyment but for our survival. Among many things, the Covid-19 crisis should teach us how important it is for us to be able to enjoy the environment and nature in a respectful way, and we will not be able to do that with the climate crisis that is already happening. This is why we need to come together to change the systems that are threatening the people and the planet and to fight for climate justice. You can see how much people have missed being outside and being with each other; when cases dropped a little bit and so many of us flocked to the beach (still following health protocols) just to have that bit of nature again, to reconnect with each other — but cases are rising again. We saw the climate crisis hit the Philippines again and again and we had more than 20 typhoons last year, four happening in the span of three weeks and we faced devastation in the middle of the health pandemic so that made it so much harder for us to help each other… We need to be better protecting ourselves and our environment…”

#66 POSTCARD FROM NICARAGUA from Howard Coulson on @jicaroisland

"We have never had it easy here in Nicaragua. A turbulent history and political turmoil mixed with natural disasters. But we are still standing. And we believe in a better tomorrow. Always. Just a few years ago, we were the hot and upcoming tourism destination in Central America. Featured in every travel magazine. A bit rough around the edges but with incredible experiences. Authentic. Culture. Great food. Great Nature. And of course, our wonderful people. Then Covid happened. But the Covid-19 crisis is just one of many.

Closing down our Jicaro Lodge in April 2020 was nothing new to us. We had closed our hotel a couple of years earlier due to political turmoil and then reopened successfully in November 2018. Things were looking good again. And just when we thought that it could not get any worse, Nicaragua got hit by two hurricanes in late 2020. All within a matter of two weeks. But we are still standing. Jicaro Lodge, together with the help of Cayuga Collection, Kirsten Gardner from Clark Cotula and Careli Tours, raised $10,000 to help the neediest ones in the areas affected by the hurricanes. Sometimes a crisis brings out the best in us. Maybe this is why our guests comment on the incredible warmth and hospitality of all of us Nicaraguans. We are getting ready to restart tourism soon. We are still standing."

Continuing our #BoutecoWorldStories — we’ve so far shared stories from a third of all countries in this wide wide world of ours over the last year to keep us all better aware and connected in this time when we aren't travelling…