Latest news with #Carettacaretta
Hospitality Net
14-05-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
RIU celebrates 20th Anniversary Gala in Cape Verde
On 29 April, RIU Hotels & Resorts celebrated its 20th Anniversary Gala, which commemorated the opening of its first hotel in Cape Verde on Sal Island in 2005: the Riu Funana. The ceremony was presided over by His Excellency Dr Ulisses Correia e Silva, Prime Minister of Cape Verde, along with other distinguished members of his government, and by Félix Casado, member of the RIU Board of Directors and Chief Operating Officer in Cape Verde. The Gala aimed to reflect the importance of Cape Verde for RIU, as well as to highlight the work of the past 20 years and the great link they have with the local community. For this, RIU presented 35 awards to its most renowned collaborators, suppliers and local organisations in the country. Over the past 20 years, RIU has witnessed and has been part of the country's great tourism evolution, becoming a top international destination. In addition, it has supported local talent and, as a result of training and career planning, Cabo Verde now has a large pool of professionals who today are leaders and trainers in other destinations. This was precisely one of the aspects that was highlighted by the Prime Minister in his words of congratulations to RIU with which the event was brought to a close. Dr Ulisses Correia e Silva praised the chain's business model, which supports the training of its workers and which cares about the well-being of the community. He also said that RIU has been an engine for tourism development and that much of the growth and professionalisation of the industry in the country has been thanks to the company's support. The event, held at the Riu Funana hotel on Sal Island, brought together nearly 150 attendees and was presented and led by the journalist Susana Rendall, who began by showing a commemorative video about the history of RIU in Cape Verde. Félix Casado, member of the RIU Board of Directors, gave an emotional speech in which he recounted RIU's beginnings in Cape Verde when, alongside Carlos Almeida, HR Director, they visited the local neighbourhoods to introduce the hotel manager and their project in order to hire the team from that first hotel. During his speech he expressed his appreciation, especially to his collaborators who have been able to demonstrate the value of Cape Verde, and showed his great affection for the country: Cape Verde is a destination that has changed us as a company. I'm not going to say it's been an easy journey. Especially [since] the beginning was full of challenges. Let me tell you all that your extraordinary 'morabeza' makes you unique and fortunately, we believe it has also touched the soul of RIU. The 35 awards presented during the Gala were distributed in four large recognition groups. The work of BIOS Cabo Verde and Associaçao Projeto Biodiversidade was highlighted in the category Environmental Project for the protection of the Caretta caretta turtle; Fundaçao DesBem was awarded for its work in health and childhood through the Children's Health Office of Sal Island; homage was paid to Carlos Almeida, Director of Human Resources for RIU in Cape Verde and the longest-standing employee in the chain in the country, for his key role in the development of the company in Cape Verde; and, finally, essential suppliers, local entrepreneurs and pioneers who have been with RIU since its beginnings in Cape Verde, were recognised. The awards were presented by Catalina Alemany, Director of Sustainability for RIU, Juan Carlos Dreher, Operations Officer for Cape Verde, Sergio Lobenstein, Operations Director for Cape Verde, Félix Casado and the Prime Minister of Cape Verde, His Excellency Dr Ulisses Correia e Silva. The evening also included a performance of Cape Verdean music and dance and concluded with the Prime Minister's speech, after which a dinner was provided for all the attendees with live music. The 20th Anniversary Gala was a celebration of work, overcoming challenges and an expression of deep appreciation for human relationships and closeness to the community. In addition, [it was] an opportunity to recognise the key people and players over these two decades. With this grand commemorative event, RIU celebrated in style. Twenty years ago, in 2005, RIU began its journey in Cape Verde and it is now one of its main international destinations with six hotels, more than 3,500 rooms and 3,120 local employees. For further information please visit: About RIU Hotels & Resorts The international RIU hotel chain was started in Mallorca, Spain, in 1953 as a small holiday business run by the Riu family, the founders and current owners, now in its third generation. The company specialises in holiday accommodation and over 74% of its establishments offer its renowned All Inclusive by RIU service. With the opening of its first city hotel in 2010, RIU expanded its product line with its own range of urban hotels under the name RIU Plaza. RIU Hotels & Resorts has 98 hotels in 21 countries, with a total of 38,055 employees that welcomed 6.7 million customers in 2024. RIU is currently the 40th largest chain in the world and fourth in Spain in terms of the number of rooms. For further information please visit: View source
The Guardian
02-05-2025
- The Guardian
Sand groomers v turtles: how wildlife is falling foul of the demand for Insta-perfect beaches
In the summer months in Puglia, southern Italy, the battle for the beaches begins before dawn. Armed with tractors, beach owners flatten every imperfection from the sand, dragging it to sift out anything large enough to be considered waste. As the sun rises, tourists flood the coastline, often unaware of what lies hidden beneath their feet. Two feet below the surface, delicate eggs laid by loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) are waiting to hatch. For the turtles, the beach is not a beauty spot but a habitat. As sand groomers have been transforming beaches from vital habitats into backdrops for photoshoots, their work has had an enormous impact on the turtle population. 'Occupation of the beach by private owners reduces a vital living space for the turtle,' says Salvatore Urso, a naturalist and co-founder of Caretta Calabria Conservation, who has been monitoring and protecting loggerhead turtle nests since 2005. 'There is still not much sensitivity to coexisting with this species.' Tractors not only crush or displace eggs – their mere presence can scare away female turtles, preventing them from nesting. As tourism surges in the region, the nests are protected by a handful of committed experts and volunteers. Piero Carlino is director of the Sea Turtle Recovery Centre in Calimera, where staff dedicate their summers to rescuing turtle eggs. They monitor the beaches on foot and with drones to spot nests, and when a nest is identified, volunteers place a fence around it to protect it during incubation. Later, they provide support during hatching, helping to guide the turtles towards the sea. 'People look at our dedication and think we're crazy,' says Carlino. The sand groomers versus the turtles is one of a series of conflicts between wildlife and tourists seeking picture-perfect locations that scientists and activists say are playing out around the Mediterranean as the holiday season looms. Across southern Europe, tourists driven by Instagram and TikTok are taking to remote areas in greater numbers, threatening local environments and biodiversity. Visitors to the region account for about a third of all the world's tourists, or about 330 million people in 2024 – and are forecast to reach 500m by 2030. As a criteria for holiday choice, 'Instagrammability' is here to stay, according to a poll by travel booking agency eDreams, where 59% of French people aged between 25 and 34 said they chose their holiday destination because of it. The 2023 Experiences Traveler, a report based on a survey of 4,000 travellers across Europe and the US, concluded that Instagram was now the most influential platform for tourists planning activities and trips. On the Greek island of Naxos, in the Cyclades, local campaigner Eleni Andrianopulu expresses her worries over coffee. Tourist expectations, she argues, have been moulded to a new standard: the picture-perfect beach, villa and view – many of which are groomed and manicured at the expense of local ecosystems and people. 'We, the people, and the place are just a decoration,' says Andrianopulu. In some regions, the ecological concerns are mixed with broader anger about the social consequences of overtourism, and grassroots movements are springing up in opposition. On Naxos and its Cyclades neighbour Paros, Andrianopulu and Nicolas Stephanou formed part of the international 'beach towel revolt' movement in 2023, protesting against the privatisation of beaches. Paros and Naxos are some of the driest islands in Greece and their unique culture comes from a 'minimalist' way of life engendered by scarcity, Stephanou says. The over-construction of modern hotel complexes, 'totally contrasts with the Cycladic identity'. The growth of construction can require wetlands to be drained and soil tarmacked over. This limits the freshwater available to the 185 million migratory birds for whom the Cyclades are a vital stopover. According to the WWF, in the Mediterranean basin the populations of wetland-dependent species have declined by 81% in the past 50 years. Across the Mediterranean, local and national governments are wrestling with the ecological and social effects of overtourism. Some, such as the Ciés islands off Galicia, have instituted caps on tourist numbers. Others have introduced fees, such as Venice, where tourists have to pay €5-€10 (£4.25-£8.50) to enter the city, or 'visitor zones' and assigned time-slots to keep numbers in check. Elsewhere, authorities are experimenting with social media campaigns to reset tourist expectations of what they can photograph and experience. The Calanques national park in south-east France is famous for its azure waters, where visitors can plunge in from rocky shores. The best view can be found from the clifftop. To immortalise it, some unscrupulous visitors go beyond the trails or park their car on the rocks, trampling endangered flora such as the endemic astragale plant. The park receives three million visitors a year, and the high footfall has damaged trails around the creeks: rocks have been polished by the soles of endless shoes, and the soil eroded to expose the roots of Mediterranean pines. In response, authorities have launched a 'demarketing' campaign on Instagram. The national park authority's Instagram page now features images of volunteer clean-ups and instructions on how to behave rather than enticing images of the park. 'We want to display the fragility of the park,' says Zacharie Bruyas, communication director of the park. In 2022, the authorities decided to limit access to some creeks to 400 visitors a day. The first results of the restrictions appear tentatively promising, according to Bruyas. 'There are some plantlets that are growing,' he says, though adds 'we remain cautious, nature needs time'. Hervé Menchon, the deputy coastline ecologist in Marseille, says the restrictions will continue for five more years, 'so that we won't be forced to make it a sanctuary'. Over time, the approach to social media in Calanques national park could become more common across the Mediterranean, with pictures of azure waters swapped for less glamorous shots of litter pickers. 'This mission of protection is essential,' says Menchon. 'The next generations won't be tourists!' Some beach owners, such as Damiano Reale at Vivosa Apulia resort in Marina di Ugento, on the Ionian coast, are taking steps to protect sea turtle nests on their properties. Every morning, Reale and his team check if any eggs have been laid, and avoid using tractors and strong lights at night, which could disorient the turtles. If nests are found, they fence them off and monitor them 24/7 when it's time for the hatchlings to emerge. 'It is important to make tourists, politicians and researchers understand that a smart balance between commercial use of a beach and appreciation – whether of its history or its natural events – is absolutely possible,' says Reale. Puglia's director of the coastal state property and assets, Costanza Moreo, said in a statement that the region was 'committed to protecting the nesting of Caretta caretta sea turtles', had issued an ordinance that it was 'forbidden to carry out activities that may endanger the nesting and hatching of eggs of protected species' and that beach cleaning should be done in a way that does not disturb nests. However, scientists say these orders are not well enforced, and are only applied to known nests - leaving it possible for hidden nests and breeding grounds to be damaged. In Greece, Andrianopulu says they have successfully campaigned for a ban on vehicles being used for beach grooming this year. 'It is a big success that the machines that were there for years to flatten the beach will not be working this year … my only concern is that the progress we're making is too slow in comparison to the massive and rapid destruction.' This piece is being published in conjunction with the online magazine Magma Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow the biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield in the Guardian app for more nature coverage
