LUX* South Ari Atoll Resort & Villas rounded off the year by celebrating its community initiative with a donation of USD10,092 (€8,700) to a local non-profit organization and long term partner, Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP). The donation was raised in October 2021 in conjunction with LUX* Resorts & Hotels’ 10^th anniversary, where a 10-night stay was auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Through the group’s Instagram page, LUX* South Ari Atoll presented a prize of a 10-night stay in a Romantic Pool Water Villa to support their chosen local non-profit organization. The Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme is a research-based conservation charity dedicated to the study of the gentle giants and fostering community-focused conservation initiatives in the Maldives as well as the greater Indian Ocean.

“We are grateful to all the followers that have participated in this auction and helped us celebrate our milestone – 10 years of helping people celebrate life. Our Marine Biology team has been working closely with MWSRP over the past 9 years by collecting data on the whale sharks that we spot on the excursions and submitting it to MWSRP’s research database. As one of the largest resort islands in the destination, we are committed to leading the way with eco-tourism and marine conservation work in our community and region,” said Patrice Aira, General Manager at LUX* South Ari Atoll Resort & Villas.

Richard Rees, co-founder and managing director of MWSRP, was equally excited about this celebration, “Like many grassroots conservation organization’s, this pandemic has hit our charity hard. This donation is hugely appreciated and will be used funding the redevelopment and relaunching of our Whale Shark App and the Big Fish Network – an active citizen science portal which aims to increase community and stakeholder involvement towards the research and conservation of the whale sharks in the Maldives. This donation will also be a great help in creating more training and briefing tools for guides as well as expanding the awareness campaigns.”