Rather than just reducing our environmental impact when we travel, why not give back to the places we visit? This is the big question that the regenerative travel movement seeks to answer, and in Belize, Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort is at the forefront.
What if a hotel didn’t just focus on sustaining the environment, but helped to improve it? This is the premise of regenerative travel, a salient trend that aims to leave a place in a better state than it was found.
– Roadbook Magazine
Beyond Sustainability: What Does Regenerative Travel Look Like?
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, destinations that were once battling with overtourism like Venice and Hawaii, had a moment to recover. As everything came to a screeching halt, the air got cleaner, pollution decreased, and the animals came out. And out of that stillness came a collective vision: one that involved a much greener travel industry, post-pandemic.
“Regenerative tourism invites travelers to get their hands dirty,” notes Smithsonian Magazine. Hailed as the next phase of responsible travel, it goes several steps further than just sustainability. While buzz surrounding the name may be relatively new, believed to have gained traction in late 2019 or early 2020, the philosophy that inspires it is much less so. That philosophy urges travelers to give back more than they take from destinations. But what exactly does that look like?
For businesses in the tourism industry, like hotels and resorts, it means focusing more on conservation, ethical labour, staff training, and ensuring money goes back into local communities. Regenerative travel encourages us to go a step further than simply leaving travel destinations how we found them. Instead, we should aim to make them better.
Enter Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort
Photo by Hamanasi guest Anja Phenix (@thedroneangel on Instagram)
When it comes to regenerative travel in Belize, there is no doubt that Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort is a standout property. Set in the Garifuna village of Hopkins, Hamanasi was founded by Dana Krauskopf and her husband, Dave. The award-winning boutique resort believes in the power of responsible, natural and cultural based eco-tourism – and it certainly shows.
Hamanasi – whose name is Garifuna for almond – is recognized as having been Belize’s first Green Globe Certified beach resort. In addition to this, Hamanasi is a founding member of Regenerative Resorts, the group that has been at the forefront of the Regenerative Travel movement since 2017. Over the years, the number of green initiatives hosted by the resort has continued to grow. Among them are the reforesting efforts that have led to the creation of a flourishing coastal forest where there was once lifeless land.
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- Hamanasi in 2021. Photo by Emily Kaszton
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- A photo of where Dana and David would begin building Hamanasi. Photo taken by Dana Krauskopf (1995)
Social responsibility also sits at the core of Hamanasi’s vision. Over 97% of staff are Belizean, with an ethnically diverse staff and leadership positions that reflect this diversity.
This Belize resort does all this and then some, all while maintaining the level of comfort and luxury that it promises guests.
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- The dive crew at Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort. Image via property.
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- Photo by Carolee Chanona
“At Hamanasi we want you to feel welcome and to get to know other guests and locals. We want to help you explore all the wonderful sites of Belize – from Mayan ruins, rainforests and caves to atolls, pristine reefs and palm-studded beaches,” notes the owners.
When making your travel plans for this year and beyond, take things a step further than sustainable, and embrace regenerative travel with Belize’s Hamanasi resort.
Book a stay here.
Featured Photo by Emily Kaszton for Hamanasi. All photos courtesy of Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort unless captioned otherwise.
