Making sustainable tourism a way of life

MANILA, Philippines - Palawan is now the last ecological frontier of the Philippines. It is home to 800 species of fish, five species of sea turtles, which are all endangered, various marine mammals like the bottlenose dolphin and dugong — not to mention 110 species of birds, 18 of which are endangered.

These facts become all the more startling when quickly recounted to the visitor by native Palaweños who are employed by El Nido Resorts (ENR), their families and students from the municipality of El Nido which, hosts three of the four ENR properties named after the islands they are in.  The three are Lagen, Miniloc, Pangulasian. The fourth,  Apulit, is in the next-door municipality of Taytay.

A keen understanding of why Palawan has remained untouched by pollution and over-development and what can be done to keep it stunningly photogenic  is at the heart of El Nido Resorts’ education program targeted primarily towards its employees and the residents of the municipalities that host the resorts. Entitled Be GREEN (Guard, Respect, Educate El NIdo), the program is required attendance for all resort staff and is updated periodically. It is also rolled out to the local elementary and high schools by ENR’s environmental officers every quarter.

The visitor to El Nido Resorts likewise gets a healthy dose of environmental education through Be GREEN videos strategically positioned in waiting areas, newsletters left on his bed, and even from dive guides who quickly point out to him a macaque monkey.

“Once the respect for El Nido’s natural environment is there, guarding this precious resource becomes an honor, not an obligation,” says Mariglo Laririt, ENR director for sustainability. “Here at El Nido, we do our utmost to preserve the beauty that remains in our little part of the world,” she adds.

Just recently Travel + Leisure, one of the world’s most influential travel magazines, featured ENR on the August cover of its World’s Best Awards.  It was also a Tourism for Tomorrow awardee in April for its community efforts. Prior to this, The Wall Street Journal magazine named ENR as the “Philippines’ best-kept travel secret” while CNN and The New York Times singled out El Nido Resorts from among other world destinations for its unmatched natural beauty.     

ENR supports locals by buying as much as 58 per cent of its ingredients like bananas, mangos and pork from them. Thatch roof experts have likewise trained locals to braid the grass that serve as roofing for most of the El Nido Resorts cottages. Federations of local women weave the bags from palm leaves that are given away to guests. Other women were organized to serenade arriving guests with songs in the local dialect at the El Nido airport.

Laurent Lamasuta, president of Ten Knots Development Corporation, explains in business terms the company’s commitment to environmental protection: “We safeguard the vital resources upon which our business is founded. In so doing, we create long-term value for our host communities and our shareholders.”  

Setting up buoys for the use of all Bacuit Bay visitors is an ENR program intended to prevent damage to underwater life.