Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) has released details of its Sustainable Sentosa strategic roadmap, following on from its March 2021 announcement of a 2030 carbon-neutral goal to support the wider Singapore Green Plan 2030.
Unveiled on September 17, the landmark roadmap, which builds on the island’s past sustainability efforts and unique value proposition, will see the Sentosa community first focusing on six key areas to achieve the island’s dual goals of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 and becoming a globally recognised, certified sustainable tourism destination.
Thien Kwee Eng, CEO of SDC, said: “As a prominent island destination that is home to an ecosystem of leisure experiences and businesses, Sentosa is a microcosm of Singapore, and provides a unique environment to trial and implement innovative solutions that can advance Singapore’s sustainability journey.
“This is a journey that requires collective effort, and we are proud to be launching the Sustainable Sentosa strategic roadmap with the strong support from our island businesses and partners. Through these efforts, we will strengthen Sentosa’s position as a beloved getaway for Singaporeans, and as a sustainable tourism destination.”
Various sustainability-focused initiatives and experiences will be launched, creating an important ecosystem for solutions, education, and ideas in the nation’s sustainability journey.
Initiatives that will bring Sentosa towards the first goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 include the establishment of the Sentosa Carbon Neutral Network, comprising 17 founding members, to lead various carbon neutrality projects with like-minded partners across public, private, and non-profit sectors; implementation of new infrastructure solutions for carbon mitigation, with a focus on studying solutions to harness renewable energy and making Sentosa a zero-waste precinct; and developing a 100 per cent green transportation infrastructure by 2025 as well as attaining Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy certification for all new SDC-owned buildings.
Initiatives with the second goal in mind include developing a series of sustainability-themed tours to be progressively launched from December 2021, to allow guests to better understand the importance of sustainability through an immersion into the unique heritage, biodiversity and nature in Sentosa as well as neighbouring islands; launching a new gateway to the wider Southern Islands archipelago via a new ferry jetty at Sentosa Cove Village from 2Q2021; establishing guidelines by 2022 to encourage all Sentosa businesses to strengthen their sustainability practices through green initiatives; and benchmarking the island’s offerings against international standards, such as that of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC).
Sentosa also targets to be certified by GSTC as a sustainable destination by its Golden Jubilee Year in 2022.
All-inclusive resort operator Club Med is gearing up for expansion in the Asia-Pacific region over the next five years, targeting greenfield opportunities in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Already, the brand has announced its first South-east Asia greenfield beach resort in Borneo, Kota Kinabalu, in collaboration with owners Golden Sands Beach Resort City. Slated to open in 2023, the 16ha Club Med Borneo Kota Kinabalu resort will be one of the brand’s most upscale resorts in the region. In addition, with growing accessibility of the resort just six hours from key Asian markets, Club Med said that it is “confident to capture the vast untapped potential of this pristine location”.
In the wake of the pandemic, Club Med has successfully reopened its resorts in China and the Maldives, followed by Northern America, the Caribbean and Europe.
Domestic travel to Club Med resorts in China soared by more than 2.5 times in 2021 and is already on track to surpass pre-pandemic demand. Meanwhile, Club Med’s resort in Malaysia saw an increase in business volume of over 60 per cent in the weeks following the relaxation of interstate restrictions, before the recent movement control order.
Beyond the success of its current resorts, Club Med is also readying itself with an aggressive expansion pipeline.
“We entered the pandemic with a strong economic position and are well-placed for a swift, decisive and impactful rebound. Club Med has a demonstrated track record spanning more than 70 years as the pioneer of new destinations and untouched locations, with Club Med Seychelles and Club Med Lijiang as successful case studies of our recent greenfield projects around the globe, as well as the upcoming Club Med Borneo Kota Kinabalu,” said Jean-Charles Fortoul, CEO, APAC Resorts, Club Med.
“Following these successes, we have also identified Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia as markets that are well-positioned to leverage this rebound and we are on the lookout for investors and partners to tap into the potential of these destinations.”