Seasons in Africa's commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable travel was reflected in its exhibition stand at the Tourism Indaba in Durban this year.
"Our objective was to create an exhibition environment that is both beautiful and responsible to our Earth, reflecting our undertaking and commitment to the environment, our guests and our communities," he said.
The structure of the stand was recycled and reworked using environmentally friendly and non-toxic materials made from natural, eco-friendly and renewable resources. Painted with environmentally-friendly paint that doesn't contain the toxins that regular paints do, not only avoiding polluting the environment, but also improving our air quality.
Bamboo wallpaper cladding was chosen as it is one of the most eco-friendly, sustainable solutions available and has an exceptionally high carbon conversion rate with almost zero carbon footprint.
"We opted for cork flooring for its particularly eco-friendly manufacturing process; even the waste is gathered to produce sheets of cork,", commented Marius Hitge, stand consultant and designer.
The timber used for table bases and seating is sourced from sustainably grown and managed forests. The manufacturing process is highly effective and results in very little waste and use of artificial fittings and adhesives. Timber is also a biodegradable product; obsolete items will not compromise the environment and can be recycled. Glass table tops were selected for their future friendly surface, their composite properties allow it to be recycled many times, thus saving water and natural resources.
The creative art and display material is printed on canvas as it is more abrasion resistant and longer lived, does not require bleaching, and is much less prone to seam slippage. The green imagery is framed with wood from renewable resources.
Fabrics and lanyards are made from natural plant fibres that are durable, earth friendly and biodegradable using natural pigment dyes and water-based printing inks.
Even the stationery is biodegradable and recycled. Notebooks made from recycled paper and corn-based plastic and recycled paper pens, which will degrade into CO2 and H2O under home and commercial composting conditions.
Adding to the earth-friendly experience, guests were treated to one of the greenest cups of coffee served in biodegradable cups, made from sugar cane waste fibres with sleeves made from recycled paper, printed with vegetable-based inks.
The development of tourism in natural areas can destroy the very qualities of the destination that brought travellers in the first place. Tourism growth in an area can lead to the loss of wildlife habitat from growing population pressures and the construction of tourism facilities, degradation of environment and water due to improper waste management, loss of cultural identity and traditional land-use strategies by indigenous cultures and unsustainably large demands for energy from new development.
Seasons in Africa understands the finer points of hospitality and luxury and invites travellers to indulge in a lifestyle of luxury without compromising the environment.
