Eco-friendly holiday: An artist’s impression of one of the tiny houses that will open on Lazarus Island soon. — The Straits Times/ANN
THE eco-friendly “tiny houses” on Lazarus Island have the potential to elevate Singapore’s standing as a sustainable tourism destination, if they are well packaged with tours to offer a unique, “off-the-grid” kind of experience, say tourism experts here.
The five, low-carbon tiny houses, which are developed by local start-up Big Tiny, will be open to the public from May 5.
Each house is built from sustainable construction materials, such as recycled plastic and wood fibres, which Big Tiny says are sourced from countries in the region to reduce the carbon footprint from transportation.
The houses are also mainly powered by solar energy and equipped with energy-efficient electrical appliances.
Big Tiny co-founder Jeff Yeo said the company will focus on monitoring the total energy consumption of the houses and is committed to achieving carbon neutrality for the houses by 2030.
The accommodation does away with single-use toiletries such as dental kits and travel-sized shampoo and soap. Visitor guestbooks are provided, including tips on how to responsibly interact with wildlife and the environment.
Experts say the experience on Lazarus Island must remain a highly differentiated one, especially when compared with other tourist destinations in Singapore and on Sentosa Island.
Dr Kevin Cheong, chairman of the Association of Singapore Attractions, said: “The Lazarus experience should be based on sustainability principles, care for nature, air, sea, water and the environment.
“It should also be a place to chill, unwind, recharge and indulge in nature. In doing so, the underlying take-home message should be, ‘We can holiday responsibly.’”
Benjamin Cassim, a senior lecturer in hospitality and tourism management at Temasek Polytechnic, said the novelty and uniqueness of these eco-friendly houses should be able to draw visitors to both Lazarus and its neighbouring St John’s Island for one or two nights’ stay, but there needs to be other offerings to make the stay worthwhile.
“These offerings need to be interactive and experiential in delivery. Examples include guided treks to learn about the biodiversity of the island, or possible hands-on workshops to care for and understand the plant species on the island,” he added.
Culinary classes using foraged herbs on the island could also be considered, he noted.
While activities such as kayaking and snorkelling will soon be made available to visitors, more can be done to engage and educate visitors on the island’s biodiversity, to get people to be more attuned to their natural environment and develop an affinity for wildlife and biodiversity.
For instance, bird-watching guides could be provided in each room to encourage guests to pay closer attention to the wildlife around them by learning to spot and identify different species.
Suggestions on routes for nature walks around the island would also be a welcome addition – these could each include a “treasure hunt” checklist to help people to identify plant species that are unique to the island or are critically endangered.
Dr Shawn Lum, president of the Nature Society (Singapore), said visitors could also be encouraged to upload images of interesting findings to a citizen science-type app such as iNaturalist or the National Parks Board’s (NParks) SGBioAtlas to be used as conservation data.Cassim said: “When packaged well with these biodiversity experiences, the tiny houses, as a tourism product, would be a strong offering to international markets and could be a good representation of Singapore’s efforts to protect the environment.” — The Straits Times/ANN
