Reef Worlds design teams spent 2012 reviewing the state of five-star resort waterfronts in the Caribbean and Pacific. Their report shed a new light on the underwater world beyond the high tide mark.
USA – With well known resort brands spending millions of dollars on land-based renovations and new construction, few have yet to discover their own waterfronts -underwater- as a source of revenue and completely unique client engagement.
“It’s all about creating an emotional engagement,” says Dave Taylor Director of Development at Reef Worlds, an L.A based underwater design and development company.
“There’s an estimated 500,000 square miles of accessible ocean front sitting right off mainstream hotel chains and fractional ownership resorts across the Caribbean and Asia that no one has created any meaningful engagement with. The resorts who own these spaces still consider the high tide mark their responsibility. The end result are waterfront spaces that no one wants to snorkel on, or dive on, worse yet spaces that wildlife, (the reason people engage with the water), are leaving because of environmental neglect. Reef Worlds creates the kind of habitat that can bring these spaces back to life with artificial reef elements that are designed for both tourism and the environment.”
Taylors design team create unique and iconic underwater worlds on resort waterfronts in the ‘goldilocks zone’ for tourism and wildlife. “Today’s clients want to create their own vacation content and share it via social media with the world. it’s imperative that these unique emotional ‘engagement points’ be worthy of that content creation. The images and videos they share that are ultimately branded to the resort turning your clients into marketing machines for your brand.”
Dave Taylors design and build team are avid water users and have traveled extensively around the world to discover the state of resort waterfronts in 2012 and their report was not pretty. “We found old tires, garbage, sand bottoms, broken coral, and wildlife that was barely hanging on. In short not a place you would want to grab a snorkel kit and go explore and these were 5 star developments and fractional ownership properties.”
Reef Worlds engagement solutions for resorts are simple. Take the concept of an artificial reef, typically rock tailings, rip rap, and or concrete shapes that have no tourism value and fundamentally redesign the concept to create entire worlds underwater for tourism and wildlife. Reef Worlds harness 5,000 years of human design elements with a touch of Hollywood magic to deliver underwater experiential sites that capture and hold mass tourism within a resort developments own footprint.
They are also designed as revenue generators from the day they are placed onsite.
Tourism Revenue 101
“Snorkel rentals have some compelling numbers behind them. A typical snorkel set rents for $20-30USD a day, and at just 100 sets a day you’re looking at close to a million dollars in revenue generation for the resort, plus habitat creation with the increase of bio mass and colorful fish to your waterfront. But the Holy Grail of Reef Worlds are the newly branded vacation memories for your clients and their entire family in a way that is practically maintenance-free. Try getting all that from a land-based water park.”
If You Build It
Habitat creation is important for regional wildlife. Many resorts worldwide are suffering from extensive habitat loss underwater. Reef Worlds builds the kind of large structures that attract soft coral growth, herbivorous fish, and schooling fish species. Reef Worlds design teams also employ marine biologists and fish ecologists to design underwater worlds that also act as instant habitat creation.
“The next decade will be all about who has the ability to create an emotional connection with their client base. After all, one beach is the same as the next beach and you can only add so many swimming pools and land-based attractions before you start running out of space. Our message is simple, start building underwater and discover how easy it is: re-engage your clients and get them to use social media to spread the word about your resorts while helping the regional environment at the same time.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
