I wrote last week about regenerative tourism, best understood as making places better, better for the environment, better for people to live. Regenerative tourism requires that investors, businesses, planners and government take responsibility and work to make torus people and planet positive. Regenerative tourism results from responsibility which drives sustainability. Responsible Tourism is about “making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.”
Rarely do we find examples of tourism which are regenerative at scale, Tulah is regenerative at scale. Tulah is the world’s first Integrated Clinical Wellness Resort designed to help one achieve balance through healthcare, nutrition & fitness, mindful practices, wisdom, learning and awareness programs.
I had been speaking about Responsible Tourism in Beypore, in Kerala and was invited for lunch, with the Minister of Tourism, by Faizal Kottikollon, of Kef Holdings and the Faizal and Shabana Foundation. Few corporates would have on their homepage.
“A flagship project of KEF Holdings, Tulah follows the ideology of its parent company – to be different and make a difference.” Tulah in Sanskrit means “balance.”
As we arrived at Tulah the fountain at the heart of Tulah created an unfavourable first impression, a beautiful sight but a profligate, arguably irresponsible use of water.
However, as I walked into lunch, I noticed on the wall an illustration of what lay below ground – I had seen this kind of imagery before on the British Geological Survey website. It was immediately apparent that the water table was high and that the water in the fountain and pools was being recycled to dramatic effect. There was nothing irresponsible about this use of water.
These images how the rise in the water table between 2020, with its barren landscape and 2023, with verdant planning, drip irrigation, rain capture and storage and water recycling.
Neighbouring farmers report that their water table has also been raised.
The accommodation is cooled by pumping water from underground and running it thought the walls and floors to produce cooling, the pumps powered by solar. To sleep in a room cooled silently by radiant cooling is good for soul and for the environment. The water is returned to the aquifers below.
The accommodation at Tulah is in a converted redundant textile mill, refurbished and using solar power and radiant cooling.
The development of Tulah demonstrates how a regenerative approach can contribute to a better environment and generate heath and wellness and socio-economic benefits.
