Though we can’t say for certain what travel will look like once restrictions are lifted, responsible travel is one industry trend that we hope will resurge as a key priority for many travelers.

With the one-two punch of sustainability and slow travel, sailing allows for full immersion with the natural world without leaving a heavy footprint behind. However, not all boats—or tour operators—are created equal. No one knows this better than the team behind the newly introduced Meridian Adventure SAIL, a collection of six high-end, eco-friendly catamarans currently based in the Indonesian marine paradise of Raja Ampat.

A Look At Meridian Adventure SAIL:

With a slow-travel mandate and environmental responsibility at heart, Meridian Adventure SAIL operates as a members club to ensure that only environmentally focused and adventure-loving travelers attend their trips. Once accepted into the club, likeminded members are able to book a catamaran (or up to six catamarans) for a custom-crafted expedition through the world’s most pristine paradises, such as Raja Ampat.

Slowly garnering a reputation as one of the most staggeringly beautiful diving locations, Raja Ampat is a biological hotspot with a dizzying amount of marine diversity, which is all the more reason that it should be explored via a sustainable outfit like Meridian Adventure SAIL.

“The reason why we came to explore this area is because it’s one of the last frontiers left,” says Darryn Timm, Meridian Adventure SAIL’s Fleet Captain. “It’s relatively untouched. We’ve come here to try and preserve that the best we can, to influence the locals the best we can, to help them understand what they have here. We don’t want mass tourism here. We don’t want it to turn into Bali, so we’re fighting against that. This is why we do these kinds of trips—to get everyone to see that it’s still savable.”

Meridian Adventure SAIL has a deep dedication to the ocean. Each of the company’s sleek and smart catamarans are outfitted to optimize eco-friendliness. Whenever possible, sails are used instead of motors and on-vessel waste management systems means waste is not dumped into the clear, equatorial waters that the fleet currently calls home. Also, with Meridian Adventure SAIL no journey follows a set itinerary: each trip is bespoke, meaning no one path ever gets trodden. “Formulaic trips are the worst thing you can do,” says Meridian Adventure SAIL’s Marketing Director, Silvana Bottega. “The more you go on the same path, the more you’re going to destroy that path.”

It’s a simple premise, but unfortunately, it’s not one followed by many tourism operators who have starting coming to the area.

Meridian Adventure SAIL is only able to operate responsibly and with such dexterity because they have an extensive and intimate knowledge and understanding of the region, which has been painstakingly amassed over time; however, many other operators (mostly “liveaboard” phinisi boats) cannot claim to possess the same hard-earned insight or much-needed experience.

“Phinisis are what will bring mass tourism here,” says Timm. “[Per vessel] they are taking up to 20 people. We have 7 vessels taking 20 people. They anchor near reefs, [and] they don’t have good treatment plants on their boats, so they are dumping everything onto reef systems.”

This environmental insensitivity is largely based on the fact that many of these vessels are operating illegally. “There are supposed to be 40 registered phinisis in the Raja Ampat area,” says Timm. “Last year, we counted 136; three times the legal amount.”

“The saddest thing about it is that they [the illegal operators] don’t come from Raja Ampat. They don’t buy their provisions in Raja Ampat, [and] their crew don’t spend any money in Raja Ampat, so the local economy benefits nothing.”

This out-of-touch parachute-tourism model is the opposite of Meridian Adventure SAIL’s mindful model, and it not only disadvantages the local economy and puts the environment in jeopardy, but it also endangers the tourists aboard the illegal vessels.

“There are some good phinisi captains and they respect the area, they love the area, [but] it’s the others we worry about…They’re inexperienced,” says Timm. “They don’t know the area. Everyone’s trying to make a quick buck because it’s the new hot spot. It’s super dangerous…Last year there were three phinisis that crashed into each other. Four crashed onto reefs and two burnt down.”

In addition to providing local expertise, Meridian Adventure SAIL has demonstrated longterm conservation efforts and community investment. There’s a homestay program at their permanent dive resort, Meridian Adventure DIVE, and they conduct mangrove clean-ups, as well as removal initiatives for crown of thorns starfish, which are known to destroy reef systems. “We’re a small team trying to make conscious decisions,” says Bottega. “Whatever we can, we do.”

How To Explore Raja Ampat:

Raja Ampat isn’t easy to reach. The nearest airport is Sorong (Domine Eduard Osok Airport; code SOQ), which is a four-hour, domestic flight from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. Qatar Airways, named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, offers several flight routes to Jakarta. There really is no better product on the market and on select routes, the business class offering now includes the ultra-private and ultra-exclusive Qsuites. Book at qatarairways.com

Meridian Adventure SAIL operates as a private ocean explorers club. Register your interest in becoming a member at sail.meridianadventures.com/clubs

Club rates for a semi-private Raja Ampat Discovery Voyage start from $8,250 per day, per catamaran on an all-inclusive basis (6-8 guests; 1 week minimum). Each vessel is fully crewed, and all dives, water sports and experiences are included. Curated journeys can be booked for 6-vessel group expeditions at $49,500 per day with up to 21 cabins available, plus additional support vessels.

Read the original article here.