Coral Reef Education
In the highly competitive travel industry, resorts cannot afford to stand still. Today’s travelers are unlike travelers of the past – they are much more environmentally aware and expect the resorts they chose to share similar values. Resorts that embrace a more eco-conscious ethic are reaping the rewards of increased market share and unparalleled customer loyalty.
Reef Smart’s coral reef education program helps resorts implement unique environmental experiences for guests. Our education program also helps arm resort staff and management with the leading scientific research and information necessary to engage with today’s eco-tourists, and thus attract a greater share of environmentally-aware visitors.
Reef Smart’s educational program provides a template to assist resorts and dive operators in developing a more successful business while reducing their environmental footprint. Our program also helps resorts better use the natural ecosystem in a sustainable way to attract guests through programs such as citizen science initiatives and coral reef restoration projects.
Reef Smart’s first education program option includes a 10- to 12-hour training course for resort managers, owners and staff. This cost-effective program provides the information and direction required to help a resort develop a strong platform of environmental experiences and sustainable operations. This streamlined program can be run as either a two-day course or scheduled intermittently over several days, based on what fits best into a resort’s day-to-day operations.
The second program option includes the staff training component, but also integrates a one-week educational experience for guests. This more comprehensive program provides additional education around coral reef ecology and includes certification of all participants (including both guests and staff) as Reef Check EcoDivers . This option generates an advertising opportunity to attract new guests interested in this type of experience to help boost numbers during the low season and offset program costs.