Leaving Only Footprints
Action Asia|July - August 2019

Resort owner Samit Sawhny talks about founding Barefoot at Havelock in the Andamans and the challenges facing the islands as they open up.

Ranjan Pal
Leaving Only Footprints

What first brought you to Havelock Island?

I came to Havelock as a backpacker, in December 2001. Havelock had only recently been opened up to visitors, [and] I was blown away by its beauty. I had my magic moment of realisation, floating on my back in the sea off Beach No 7 at Radhanagar. I looked back towards shore and saw crystal-clear water lapping gently on a broad sweep of powder-white sand, backed by dense green rainforest, and I knew that this was it.

Where did tourists stay back then?

Havelock itself was relatively untouched. You could camp on the beaches. Apart from a government guesthouse, there were only a few backpacker units with beds for US$1-2 per night. These were mostly empty. Official statistics show a total of just over 4,000 tourists for the entire year. Tourists were all backpackers who mostly arrived by ship from mainland India (three-days journey), as did I. Radhanagar beach was empty – zero day visitors and the only accommodation behind it was Jungle Resort which was where I stayed and which is now Barefoot (its owner is a shareholder in Barefoot). Land was selling at Rs4 lakhs an acre (US$6,000). It was thought of as ‘uninvestable’ at the time.

What steps have you have taken to keep your resort eco-friendly?

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Denne historien er fra July - August 2019-utgaven av Action Asia.

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