by Vijaylakshmi
“The Indian market loves luxury and it is important for us,” said Gerhard Stutz, the general manager of Soneva Fushi, speaking exclusively to Sourceon a recent trip to India.
Opened in 1995, Soneva Fushi is the first property of Soneva which was founded by Sonu Shivdasani and Eva Malmström Shivdasani. The island resort is the epitome of luxury and located in Baa Atoll in Maldives.
The Indian customers really love coming to Maldives and Soneva Fushi, Stutz said given the proximity of the destination. “When you live in large cities like Mumbai and Delhi, we offer something unique, where you can take off your shoes and walk in the sand while enjoying the offerings of our 14 restaurants,” he said stressing on the no shoes-no news tagline of Soneva as a whole—a place to disconnect.
Speaking about sustainability, which his company takes very seriously, given the fact that the Maldives needs a lot of things brought in from the neighbourhood and beyond, Stutz claimed that 70 percent of the energy needs of his property is provided by solar energy.
“We also do a lot of offsetting, and we are in touch with our suppliers to help eliminate the use of Styrofoam in packaging—we send them boxes which they can reuse for the goods that they send in,” he said.
When it comes to plastics, metal cans and glass, the hotel also has a wonderful concept called waste wealth where they are recycled and reused. The glass for instance is treated at the island’s very own glass blowing studio, he said adding that the metal waste was also remade into souvenirs and the waste plastic is remade into trays which are used in restaurants.
With the Indian market a fan of the islands, the numbers of Indian tourists who come to his hotel are at about 20 percent and this is a number which Stutz says will continue to grow given the immense size of India.
“I do believe that the Indian market travelling to the Maldives will grow further and further as more people come and experience us,” he said in conclusion.
