This is the way to holiday in paradise with a clear conscience
Attitude is a Mauritian hotel brand with an emphasis on positive-impact holidays. Sara Royle joined a trade fam to find out exactly how these are delivered.
“I love doing this job more than anything.”
Mayaven Poinen spent some 30 years working as a driver in Mauritius – but it was growing vegetables that he really loved.
“We were already passionate about farming, growing vegetables and being connected to the soil,” he explains.
“There was a government scheme for the creation of small companies but we needed to already have a market, something solid enough to start a business.”
Conversations with Attitude hotels followed and now, seven years later, he runs his own business full-time alongside his wife, employs a team of 10 and works to supply three of Attitude’s eight hotels in Mauritius with seasonal fruit and vegetables all year round.
“Thanks to Attitude, we have a better life because we have more resources to live,” he says. “We are now able to make investments, to send our children to study.”
The success of the Poinens’ business is the perfect encapsulation of Attitude hotels’ Positive Impact Movement – good for the environment, the local economy and the community. It’s an ethos that we see in action again and again on our Like a Local fam trip; from the returnable Dopper water bottle to Attitude’s decision to replace stocked minibars with zero-waste shops.
“I think this is a unique concept in Attitude,” Ravenala Attitude’s general manager, Alessandro Schenone, explains. “The guests come here and choose what they want from the Bulk Shop. In the beginning, guests asked why the minibar was empty but then you explain and they are very happy about it.”
It’s just one of the initiatives that has helped the group achieve its aim of becoming single-use plastic free. It was a risk, Alessandro admits, but one that has resonated with guests (in part, one imagines, due to the deliciousness of the deep-fried gram flour snacks on offer).
“I think guests are becoming more and more conscious that we need to do something for the planet,” he says.
“Otherwise, our kids will not have a great future.”
While a cynic might attempt to brush off Attitude’s emphasis on local and sustainable as greenwashing, it becomes clear during my stay that the group are walking the walk – a full body massage at Spa POZ is delivered using locally made products; the tea bar (better known as “Teabaz”) is stocked with flavours from Corson, a Made in Moris certified business; while 100% of the profits from the Otentik Bazar go back to the local makers whose products stock the shop’s shelves.
OUT AND ABOUT
The Live Like a Local concept enforces that same message, encouraging my fellow fam trip guests and I to get out of the hotel, explore the island and spend our rupees with local businesses.
One of my favourite trips is to the buzzing Flacq Market – guests can make their own way using Attitude’s handy Otentik Discovery app or the hotel will organise a transfer.
Here, I find rows of fresh produce, stalls serving up roti and dholl puri, and round rattan handbags dangling above the packed bazaar. I do my bit by buying a bag of masala spice and the loudest fridge magnet that I can find, pleased to be able to bring a little bit of Mauritius home to my Sheffield kitchen.
“The authentic experiences are what makes us different,” says Sean Miller, Attitude’s UK account manager. “People can come here feeling like a stranger but when they have those experiences, they leave feeling like a local.”
Trade feedback
Sheena Paton, senior programme manager at Kuoni, participated in the fam.
She says: “Our customers want to enhance their beach holiday with “real” experiences, and Attitude Resorts give you that authentic Mauritian local experience. You know exactly where you are, as the hotels are styled in a traditional Mauritian way, and from the first welcome you feel like part of a family.
“Attitude’s approach to sustainable tourism is refreshing. The great-value All Inclusive concept offers locally sourced dining choices with options available all day. I particularly love the Bulk Shop, where you stock your own minibar. Entertainment comes from local musicians and artists showcasing the many cultures within this colourful island, and you come away feeling you really have experienced a slice of Mauritian life.”
And although retail therapy with a conscience is all well and good, it’s a visit to Attitude’s Marine Discovery Centre that really cements in my mind that there’s substance to Attitude’s Positive Impact claims. From Lagoon, we take a glass-bottom boat to a Voluntary Marine Conservation Area. Eyes pointed down, we whizz over coral and multicoloured fish. Then resident marine biologist Marine Malen invites us to follow a snorkelling trail – an eco-friendly way of exploring without risk of damaging any of the precious coral.
Nina Svensson Dubois, the Marine Discovery Centre’s scientific programme manager, explains the centre is taking part in collaborative humpback whale and turtle research, as well as educating guests about the importance of protecting the environment that tourism allows them to enjoy.
“It’s easy to feel overwhelmed because there’s so much happening in the world,” she tells me. “But if everyone makes small changes in their lives, a lot can be achieved. We really want to emphasise the message that by working together we can get further than working alone.”
Attitude’s small changes – from managing food waste to working towards a solar-powered future – are adding up to something more significant. During the trip, chief operating officer Vincent Desvaux de Marigny, announces that the group is aiming is to be B Corp certified by August 2023.
“For customers, it’s what they want,” says Juliette Deloustal, Attitude’s sustainability manager. “It’s what they need, what they’re looking for. That’s why it’s working well because if you’re more and more sustainable, I think people are more and more willing to pay [for it] and they are choosing us because of our sustainable strategy.”
And, after six days of living like a local in the Mauritian sunshine, I can’t help but agree with her – if this is what sustainable tourism looks like, I’m sold.
Book it: Kuoni offers seven nights’ all-inclusive at the Ravenala Attitude from £1,699pp, with flights, based on two sharing a couple suite. Includes saving of 10% for travel in September when booked by 1 May. kuoni.co.uk
Attitude Hotels spotlight
Smarter: The best time to visit Mauritius is October-December, when the weather is warmer and drier – making it a great option for an October half-term escape or Christmas in the sun.
Better: As part of the group’s Otentik Dinner offer, guests can help to prepare and enjoy an authentic Mauritian dinner at a local family’s home. This add-on experience costs Rs700 (around £13.50) per person.
Fairer: Motorised water sports are no longer available at Attitude hotels. Suggest clients opt for eco-friendly, non-motorised water sports such as stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking or snorkelling, or take a trip on a traditional pirogue boat.
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Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
