Turneffe Flats Sets the Standard for Sustainable Tourism

Out on the remote Turneffe Atoll, one Belizean resort is proving that luxury and sustainability can go hand in hand, and it’s now getting regional recognition for it. Turneffe Flats has captured the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award, spotlighting years of intentional, eco-friendly choices. General Manager Angel Marin says it’s not just about standout projects like running mostly on solar power or harvesting rainwater, it’s about building a culture where sustainability is part of everyday life.

 

Angel Marin, General Manager, Turneffe Flats

“We’re 30 miles off-grid east of Belize City, right? So, we’re on an offshore island. And so, we’re not connected to the main grid. So, electricity, water supply, we need to be independent. So, we have to come up with innovative ways to collect water and innovative ways to make energy, create energy. So, for the last seven years, a little bit over seven years, we have installed some solar panels and now we’re 75 percent solar, right? So less emission going out in the ozone layer and we’re utilizing Mother Nature, the sun. Our main source of water is rainwater, right? So, we collect and we could store up to a little bit over 250,000 gallons of rainwater.”

 

Reporter

“So, it’s these specific initiatives that you guys were awarded for?”

 

Angel Marin,

“Well, that and also how we do our operations, right? So, we don’t use any one-use plastics or we limit the one-use plastics on our island. We try to use glass bottles and reusable pouches and even our garbage, we separate our garbage. We don’t leave anything on the island. We don’t bury anything. We compact our garbage and then we take it to Belize City. So, if we could adapt that in the tourism industry and also in our day-to-day lives, it will make the world a better place and a healthier place to live in.”

 

While the resort is celebrating the regional recognition, its managers say the bigger goal is encouraging more businesses, and even everyday Belizeans, to adopt small environmentally friendly habits that can make a lasting difference for the future.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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