Palau's world-first 'good traveller' incentive
In a world-first initiative, visitors to Palau will be offered exclusive experiences based on how they treat the environment and culture, not by how much they spend, says Lindsey Galloway from BBC.
Despite being home to fewer than 20,000 residents, the Republic of Palau is making an outsized impact to preserve the planet. Not only did the country – made up of 300-plus islands in the West Pacific – adopt the world's first anti-nuclear constitution in 1979, but it also implemented the Palau Pledge in December 2017, which requires international visitors to sign a pledge stamp in their passports that promises the children of Palau that they will "tread lightly" and "preserve and protect" the islands.
Now, as the archipelago opens up to tourism again after two long years of lockdown, a new programme called Ol'au Palau is offering a world-first initiative of "gamifying" responsible tourism, whereby travellers will be offered exclusive experiences based on how they treat the environment and culture, not by how much they spend.
The programme, managed via a custom app that's launching in the coming months, offers points to those who treat the island nation gently and respectfully by making sustainable decisions like using reef-safe sunscreen, visiting culturally important sites (such as the Belau National Museum and Bai, the oldest in Micronesia) and eating sustainably sourced local food.
Guests can then redeem their points to unlock cultural and nature-based experiences that are normally reserved for Palauans and their close friends, such as taking an unmarked hike, swimming at a secret cave, sharing a meal with locals and elders or casting a reel in a secluded fishing spot. It also promises new experiences that may have once been rare for tourists to partake in, including a first birth ceremony, which is an important cultural event.
The idea for the Palau Pledge came about in 2015, by which time tourism had reached 150,000 visitors annually – more than seven times the country's population – many of whom didn't understand the fragile ecosystem or how important sustainability was to residents. While Palauan culture values hospitality and treating visitors with respect, locals could see how under-educated visitors were eroding their environment.
To combat this, Palau needed a way to educate travellers and have them earn the privilege of being a trusted friend, said resident Laura Clarke, who co-founded the Palau Legacy Project in 2020 with Palauan Jennifer Koskelin-Gibbons to spearhead these preservation initiatives. With Clarke's background in marketing and advertising, and Koskelin-Gibbons' work in national preservation efforts, Ol'au Palau was born.
"Ol'au is an informal way for us to call out to someone we know such as a friend or family to grab their attention," explained Koskelin-Gibbons. "We may use it to call you to join in on a barbecue, or if we're on a beach and you are coming by on your boat, I can call out to invite you over to join in on our family fun."
Why should I go now?
As an economy that relies heavily on tourism, Palau was severely impacted by Covid lockdowns. […] [R]esidents are eager to re-introduce the world to its remote white-sand beaches and wildlife-rich dive spots, which have earned it the nickname "the underwater Serengeti". […]. In addition, the country recently established the world's first National Marine Sanctuary, banning any type of extraction (including commercial fishing) in 500,000 sq km of ocean, making it an ideal spot to catch a glimpse of one of 135 species of sharks and rays that now thrive here.
"This year has been good. The corals are flourishing and the reefs are beautiful," said Scott Arni, who captains the Palau Aggressor II ship and has led dive expeditions in Palau for 10 years. "The diving has been amazing with loads of sharks and great manta ray encounters […].”
Ol'au Palau rewards can be tailored to what the visitor is interested in, whether that's diving, hiking or engaging with the local community. Clarke recommends a 10-day to two-week trip to really get the most out of the programme, especially since travel time to the remote archipelago […]. "You want the first five days to start collecting your points, and you want a good amount of time, like five or six days, to redeem them," she advised.
This is an excerpt from an article originally written by Lindsey Galloway and published by BBC.
