Najib Balala, Kenya’s former Minister for Tourism and Wildlife, talks about the state of Sustainable Tourism in Kenya, what has been achieved so far and what more there is yet to do.

Today we have a special episode for you after my visit last week to Kenya where I met up with Kenya’s former Minister for Tourism and Wildlife, Najib Balala. 

Najib has served as Kenya’s Minister for Tourism and Wildlife since 2008 and is credited to having led the development and implementation of Wildlife policy in 2020, the National Wildlife Strategy 2030 and the National Tourism Blueprint 2030, as well as the conducting of the first National Wildlife Census in Kenya in 2021. 

In this episode I speak to Najib about the state of sustainable tourism in Kenya, what has been achieved so far and what more there is yet to do.

Huge thanks to Najib for taking the time from his busy schedule to share his insights with us today.  We’ll share some more podcasts from our Kenyan travels in the coming weeks so do look out for those.

Victoria Erasmus from Glen Mhor Hotel & Apartments in Inverness, talks how they can address the climate emergency in a meaningful way. Last year Victoria and the team opened Scotland's First Water Source Energy Centre which extracts the heat from shallow wells on their site allowing them to have their own water source along with providing all heating and will remove all gas from their site over the next year.

Today I’m joined by Victoria Erasmus who is the Owner Director of Glen Mhor Hotel & Apartments located in the heart of Inverness.

Victoria is relentless. We have been privileged to speak to many industry experts, hotel owners and managers over the years but Victoria is something else.

In this episode Victoria tells us how they are not yet a finished product but instead working on changing the mindsets of all their staff as they figure out the best way forward and how they can address the climate emergency in a meaningful way. 

Last year Victoria and the team opened Scotland's First Water Source Energy Centre which extracts the heat from shallow wells on their site allowing them to have their own water source along with providing all heating and will remove all gas from their site over the next year.  This £8 million pound project is located at the back of their new brewery and distillery Uile-Bheist (pronounced Ewl-Uh-Vhest and means monster in Gaelic).  Uile-Bheist was built with sustainability at its core.  Heated by their own energy, using water from their own source and solar PV for energy - making it one of the lowest carbon footprint brewstillerys in the country.

With a robust green policy, green team and climate action plan, Victoria and the team are clearly determined to do things the right way.                                                      

And if you’d like to learn more about Glen Mhor and their ethos and indeed see the property for yourself, then please do visit Glen Mhor Hotel & Apartments 

Hylton Lipkin from Alba Wellness Valley in Vietnam, talks about the essence of what makes Alba Wellness Valley so special - the nature-inspired destination which combines rest, relaxation and the healing qualities of Thanh Tan hot springs

Today I’m delighted to be joined by Hylton Lipkin who is the General Manager of Alba Wellness Valley in Vietnam.

Set at the foot of the Truong Son Mountains, spanning over 50 hectares of lush gardens and pristine lakes, is Alba Wellness Resort by Fusion. The nature-inspired destination which combines rest, relaxation and the healing qualities of Thanh Tan hot springs to form a quiet respite just 30 kilometres north from Hue.

The wellness resort features 30 Deluxe Rooms and 20 Bungalows. Surrounded by manicured gardens with calming waters and tranquil bamboo paths, guests can embrace a holistic lifestyle while lounging by the pool bar, enjoying massage and spa services and rejuvenating in the onsite Japanese onsen baths. 

With a long and illustrious career in the global hospitality industry, Hylton who is from South Africa, eventually settled in Vietnam at the Alba Wellness Resort where he clearly takes immense pride in the holistic wellness and sustainable approach which they have become renowned for in recent years.

In this episode I speak to Hylton about the essence of what makes Alba Wellness Valley so special. And if you’d like to learn more about Alba Wellness Valley and their ethos and indeed see the property for yourself, then please do visit fusionhotelgroup.com/albawellnessvalley