Resort owner Samit Sawhny talks about founding Barefoot at Havelock in the Andamans and the challenges facing the islands as they open up.
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?
This story is from the July - August 2019 edition of Action Asia.
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This story is from the July - August 2019 edition of Action Asia.
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