Singita was honoured this month with two coveted awards that celebrate exceptional achievements in eco-design and wildlife protection. Sustainable conservation and eco-friendly tourism are at the heart of the brand’s commitment to its 100-year purpose to preserve and protect large areas of African wilderness for future generations, and the awards acknowledge key initiatives that form part of this ongoing undertaking.
Transformational sustainable design
Offering a unique guest experience entailing a seamless relationship between conservation and high-end hospitality, Singita Sweni Lodge epitomises transformational design grounded in sustainability. This contemporary lodge was recognized as the ‘Best Eco-Friendly Design’ at the SKIFT Design Awards 2019 in New York, where designers and businesses showcasing forward-thinking projects across physical and digital touchpoints were lauded.
Nestled between the trees on the banks of the Sweni River in the renowned Kruger National Park in South Africa, the lodge uses solar energy and is positioned in a way that maximises the use of trees and the river breeze to cool each of the seven suites. Built with minimal impact on the land, the lodge – designed by Gapp Architects and interior designers Cécile & Boyd – is held up by poles and could easily be removed to preserve its natural surrounds.
As a celebration of the African wilderness, conservation and sustainability, Singita Sweni Lodge showcases what can be achieved when sustainability and conservation are key components in design. This has been a hallmark at all of Singita’s lodges and camps for the past 26 years and underpins the brand’s values and purpose in each of the six regions in which it operates.
The Lionscape Coalition’s profound impact
As part of the Lionscape Coalition (LC) – an innovative collaboration between some of Africa’s most respected ecotourism companies – Singita is actively helping to save threatened wild lions on the continent. LC received the ‘Conservation and Sustainability’ award at the 2019’s PURE Life Experiences, which was held in Morocco this month. This annual niche travel show recognises tourism pioneers who raise the bar and tirelessly push the boundaries to change mindsets, empower communities and protect the planet, and the award highlights the profound impact of responsible travel on the world.
The ‘Conservation and Sustainability’ category specifically acknowledges a project that is eco-friendly and shows due responsibility to natural resources. LC was launched in 2019 by Singita, &Beyond, Wilderness Safaris and Conservation Travel Foundation by Ultimate Safaris to raise awareness of declining lion populations and generate funding for the Lion Recovery Fund (LRF) to implement more than fifty projects in Africa. Its goal is to double wild lion populations on the continent by 2050.
“We are absolutely delighted to receive both these coveted awards,” says Luke Bailes, Singita Founder and Executive Chairman. “They strengthen our unwavering commitment to our 100-year purpose, which is at the core of everything we do. We’re immensely proud of the creative teams who designed Singita Sweni Lodge, the lodge operations for delivering exceptional guest experiences, and our conservation partners who work tirelessly to safeguard vulnerable wildlife species. Winning awards like these is critical to Singita’s future growth and positioning.”
