Published on : Monday, April 22, 2019
Blessed with the gorgeous natural wonders, from powdery white beaches to striking limestone cliffs, the island has time and again been one of the top vacation choices among locals as well as international tourists.
In fact, tourist arrivals in El Nido in 2018 reached 300,000.
To stop a similar situation that occurred in Boracay that led to its six-month closure last year, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has by now mentioned its plan to also restore El Nido.
But even before that, Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) has already been ahead in making sure in terms of sustainable tourism in the popular destination. This is in line with the final goal of the government agency.
In developing the Lio Tourism Estate, the Ayala-led company was guided by “principles of sustainability and inclusive growth ensuring least impact to the environment while benefiting the local community.”
ABS-CBN News and other journalists got the opportunity to meet and discuss with Brett Hickey, the general manager of Seda Lio Resort which is the biggest and latest ALI development in the large-scale tourism estate.
He excitedly mentioned about the brand’s initiations in preserving the paradise and its sustainability designs.
“The board of directors have this real sense of what they want to accomplish, and unlike working for other large multinationals, these people really walk the talk. They really want to make the world a better place,” he said.
Hickey explained that it is crucial for them in Seda to incorporate itself into the site’s natural features and do minimal changes as much as possible.
“When we built this resort, it was difficult seeing the ocean. So I said what do we do? We got to start trimming the trees but we can’t take the trees out. I think nine out of 10 other companies that’s going to come in, they are just going to bulldoze the trees down and make way for the view. We don’t. We kept every single tree we could… We spent a lot of time climbing up the ladders, cutting down branches but all the trees are still standing,” he said.