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SPECIAL REPORT FuTuRe OF TRaveL lofty ambitions Below, from left: On the approach to Soneva Fushi resort, host of the 2011 Slow Life Symposium; Sir Richard Branson at the resort’s jetty. he travel industry, one of practices within the travel industry. the world’s largest, faces While politicians continue to debate car - Ready extreme challenges and un- bon-reduction schemes, Branson told delegates certainty in the future, but that the price, in environmental terms, grows FOR it ’s a safe bet that billionaire steeper every day. “On global warming and cli - Sir Richard Branson and mate change, we have already reached a crit - his multifaceted Virgin em- ical point. The time for talk has passed,” he said. i h S u TakeOFF pire will play a huge role in “We need action, and we must take action F a T v Though he will soon be shaping its direction and sustainability. now.” And the cost of inaction, he maintains, e n O Branson was among dozens of speakers at is moving the world ever closer to “the mother S rocketing wealthy tourists F O October’s Slow Life Symposium, a celebrity- of all recessions.” into space, Sir Richard y S e Branson’s more immediate studded ecotourism conference hosted by Six “We’re not going back to the Stone Age,” T R u concern is making the way Senses Resorts & Spas at its Soneva Fushi concurred the Maldives’ environment minister, O c ; the rest of us travel more property in the Maldives’ Baa Atoll. He was Mohamed Aslam. “Travel is a fast-growing e k a L sustainable. The time for joined by some of world’s most prominent industry, and the Maldives itself is dependent T S e talk is over, he says, and the green planners, thinkers, and alternative- on tourism. But we must have the kind of travel w n i time for action is now energy advocates to discuss climate change that helps the world instead of destroying it.” T R a BY ROn gLuckMAn and progress toward sustainable business Despite the concerns, the mood at the m 16 — DESTINASIAN.com — FeBRuaRy/maRch 2012 SPECIAL REPORT SPECIAL REPORT FuTuRe OF TRaveL FuTuRe OF TRaveL conference was upbeat. “I think businesses are space, and the pressure in the ocean will be light. “He practiced his presentation on me,” carbon-neutrality within five years. climate-change adviser and author of The moving in the right direction,” Branson told greate r,” he said. “Eighty percent of the species Branson recalled. “I was an attentive guinea That would be welcome news to a tourism Launched in two U.S. cities, the God Species: How the Planet Can Survive the Age DestinAsian . “On global warming, politicians in the sea are yet to be discovered. It could be pig, and it made me realize that we had to do industry increasingly walking a line between Green Capital Global Challenge of Humans . “These islands have been impor - have failed. But if every company in the world a whole new area of exploration for us.” something to change the way we did business the energy expectations of climate-conscious funds makeovers of buildings that tant in changing the dialogue,” he added, should not only repay investment takes on this issue, a lot will get done.” With his long blond hair and irresistible or we would ruin our world for our grand - consumers and fuel-hungry comforts like the costs in energy savings, but noting that several other nations have matched He offered examples from his own initia - charisma, Branson might seem more suited children and their children.” air-conditioning they demand while on hol - also generate billions of dollars the carbon-neutrality pledge. “Think of the tives. “We have created the carbon War Room to rock stardom than saving the planet. The Last year, Branson joined forces with iday. The very act of traveling demands the in increased economic activity Maldives as a laboratory for the world.” to do things that not only help to green cities, entertainment and aviation mogul built Vir - gore to offer a uS$25 million prize to inspire expenditure of enormous energy and carbon nasheed, the first democratically elected green islands, and green shipping, but that also gin from the ground up, selling records from young minds to come up with creative ways for flights. president of Asia’s smallest nation, said: “It’s create jobs,” he said, referring to the website the trunk of a car, eventually forming his to combat climate change. Since then, thou - “We have seen some wonderful ideas and very clear, regardless of whether you are big he recently launched with the aim of drasti- first enterprise, Virgin Records. He launched sands have submitted proposals to the Virgin initiatives at this symposium,” said Slow Life low-lying archipelagic nation, whose highest or small, rich or poor, too much carbon will kill cally reducing the use of traditional jet fuels. British carrier Virgin Atlantic in 1984, Virgin Earth challenge for the development of host Sonu Shivdasani, chairman of the Six point is no more than two meters above sea you.” He commended the sense of optimism Toward this end, Branson’s team began by Mobile in 1999, and Virgin Blue (now Virgin means of removing carbon from the atmos - Senses group. “global warming and climate level, is more vulnerable than most to the rise at the conference, noting that the world had tracking the routes and efficiencies of cargo Australia) a year later, along the way making phere. change present challenges to all resorts, and in sea levels attributed to climate change. Its been stymied by the economic costs of climate ships worldwide. Providing data on 100,000 news for such death-defying escapades as In recent years, Branson has pledged all there is a huge effort to be more energy con - president, Mohamed nasheed, has become a action for too long. “There is a sense of leth- vessels online allows customers to choose the record-breaking hot-air balloon flights and profits from his aviation and train business to scious.” An eco-pioneer among the world’s lux - poster boy for the battle against global warm - argy, of losing hope, but I am confident we can most energy-efficient among them, saving car - dogsledding to the north Pole. finance the invention of an alternative, ecolog- ury hotel chains, Six Senses is at the forefront ing, challenging world leaders to do more to win this. I believe in human ingenuity. I think bon and money in the process. Branson said that it was Al gore who ical airline fuel. He spoke passionately about of such efforts. Its properties purify and bot - rein in carbon emissions. He has also steered there will be a huge change, a massive shift, a They then launched the green capital inspired him to take a stand against global various biofuels, and hinted at a huge break - tle their own water in recyclable glass bottles, his tiny, newly democratic state on its own renaissance. This is the time to step up. We global challenge, a program designed to warming. “He just showed up at my door one through. Sure enough, weeks later came the and a portion of the business’s proceeds are green path, announcing the goal of carbon really have to take action. It’s time to stop improve energy savings in cities. “It’s such a day,” Branson chuckled. This was six years ago, announcement that his team developed the chaneled into various green and wildlife con - neutrality by 2020. thinking in the old economic terms, and come simple scheme, just looking at all the ways to before the former American vice president’s first low-carbon aviation fuel with half the servation funds. “unlike all the countries that talk about up with something new.” make buildings better, to save energy and Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient carbon footprint of normal fuel. “This is just Holding the symposium in the Maldives what other countries need to do, the Maldives Branson agreed. “Some see this as a huge money,” said the 61-year-old founder of the Truth propelled climate change into the spot - a start,” Branson said, adding that the goal is contributed an extra sense of urgency. The is taking action,” said Mark Lynas, nasheed’s challenge. I see opportunity.” Virgin group. Launched last fall in two u.S. cities, the initiative funds makeovers of build - ings that, according to Branson, should not only repay investment costs in energy savings, but also generate billions of dollars in increased IT AIN’T economic activity through the creation of 17,000 jobs. In the future, he hopes to get more ROCKET funding partners onboard and roll out the pro - gram in cities across the world. SCIENCE If Branson seems all over the map these days, that’s because he is constantly on the go, Since NASA announced involved in scores of campaigns. A few days plans to abandon its space before our meeting in the Maldives, he was in shuttle program, a new Shanghai, speaking against the harvesting of generation of businesses shark fins alongside basketball star Yao Ming, have stepped up to com - mercialize space. Next year one of china’s most famous athletes. A week should see the launch of later, he was scheduled to travel to new Mex - Richard Branson’s Virgin ico to open his Virgin galactic Spaceport. He Galactic odysseys, which said that Virgin galactic was on track to will take tourists (up to six calls it, “bloon.” into the stratosphere, some begin taking tourists to the edge of space in at a time) into suborbital An aeronautical engineer 36 kilometers above the 2013, with 500 space tourists having already space for a suitably out-of- whose résumé includes planet.

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