The judges were really impressed in the European Responsible Tourism Awards by the Mallorca SUP Stand-Up Paddleboarding SME. Hannah Louise Lopez is doing much more than hiring out paddle boards. The judges recognised that Hannah offers so much more and that there is more to come. We very rarely give Gold or Silver Awards in consecutive years, and we recognised in Hannah’s Mallorca SUP a likely Gold Award in two or three years’ time.
Hannah’s Mallorca SUP is a small business with a big positive impact on nature. As we wrote in the citation for her award: “The Mallorca SUP Company embraces all aspects of paddle boarding, offering lessons, guided experiences, equipment rental and board repairs AND creates experiences designed to connect people with the sea in a deeper, more conscious ‘Blue Mind’ way.”
Hannah is planning an “Oceans Connected – Winter Summit” initiative: “a community-led and community-driven gathering that brings together people, ideas and creativity around the shared theme of connection to the ocean.” The Responsible Tourism Awards judges hope to hear more of it.
Guests are given the opportunity to experience the Bay of Pollença with zero environmental impact and engage and connect with the natural world around them. Guests learn about the delicate balance of the marine ecosystem, including the vital role of Mediterranean seagrass (Posidonia), and witness first-hand the richness of local wildlife, from stingrays and dolphins to diverse fish and coastal fauna.
Hannah draws on her own experience of ADHD, her “superpower”, and anxiety to explain why paddle boarding can be brilliant for neurodivergent minds: “It is the rhythm of the paddle. The sound of the water. The simple focus of balance, breath and movement. The freedom to release a little restless energy – or slow everything down when life feels too loud.”
Paddle boarding offers “a positive environment for neurodivergent minds”.
“At the heart of it, paddle boarding offers something wonderfully simple: a board, a paddle, a patch of blue space and the freedom to move through the world in your own way.” Hannah has a different take on “all-inclusive”. Writing about her experience a few days ago: “This was my version of all-inclusive.”
“There were children, mums, dads, friends and couples. There were English voices, Spanish voices and plenty of laughter in between. There were people with different levels of experience, different reasons for being there and different ways of enjoying the water.
“Not everyone being offered exactly the same experience, but everyone being made to feel that the experience could belong to them.”
From the very start, setting up the business was not only about teaching people to paddle. Paddle boarding is secondary to the nature and mental health reasons. Very few people can get out on the water unless they have deep pockets and can hire a boat. Paddle boarding enables people to be out on the water, seeing things they would never normally experience.
“It’s a thing of wonder when you’re paddling and a stingray passes under your paddle board. It’s a thing of wonder when people pass over the seagrass fields with fish entwined.”
I asked Hannah how she had come to apply for a Responsible Tourism Award. The answer was a surprise: “I asked my friend ChatGPT, as a business that does this, what can you recommend? Is there anything that I can apply for to further what I’m doing? And the first thing that came up was you guys. So I applied and then I got the application form back. I looked at the detail in the application form and I took it as a real challenge. What it did for me was really focus my attention on what we do, why we do it and what we could be doing.”
Hannah has developed a really interesting way of engaging people through a leisure activity. Clearly, most people paddle board for fun, and yet behind it lies this notion of building some kind of relationship with the sea for people who would otherwise not have that.
Hannah is doing something very special:
“I can, hand on heart, say I think we are about as zero impact as you can be. We are zero impact. We don’t create noise. We don’t create rubbish. We don’t use fuel. We use humans to power the craft. Our business is a tiny little garage that we’ve converted, and it’s been converted using reclaimed materials.
“But most importantly, we make people think about their choices. When people are stuck with me for an hour or two hours, they can’t get away from me. And it gives me an opportunity to tell people about the impact that boats have, the impact that sun cream has, the impact of plastic pollution.
“In those two hours, I make them think about their choices, not just on the water, but also about buying local. So, as well as offering a nature-positive experience, we also offer an opportunity for people to think about their choices a little bit more. And this is a good thing.”
