Soneva hospitality brand and international wellness enterprise Organic India collaborated to launch the first-ever Soul Festival in the Maldives. From September 29 to October 8, 2023, the health and wellbeing-focused festival was held at the award-winning luxury resort Soneva Fushi, located within the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Founded in 1995, Soneva is an award-winning sustainable luxury resort operator with three properties in the Maldives – Soneva Fushi, Soneva Jani and Soneva in Aqua. The brand also includes Soneva Kiri in Thailand. At Soneva, luxury is defined by “peace, time and space,” by which guests are encouraged to discover the Slow Life, to reconnect with themselves and the natural world.
Responsible Tourism
Soneva is a pioneer for responsible tourism, combining a conscientious, proactive approach to sustainability coupled with intuitive personalised service. Carbon neutral since 2012, Soneva launched its Total Impact Assessment in 2016, which measures its social and environmental impacts – a first for the hospitality industry.
A mandatory 2% environmental levy is added to every Soneva stay, with proceeds going towards the not-for-profit Soneva Foundation to offset both direct and indirect carbon emissions from resort activities and guest flights. The Foundation also funds a range of global projects that have a positive environmental, social and economic impact.
Maldives Soneva Soul Festival
The first Soneva Soul Festival in the Maldives was offered over the course of ten days and two weekends. Conceived to be a life-enriching festival with a purpose, Soul offers guests a verdant space to move, eat, explore and be creative, while combining ancient healing traditions with modern innovations.
Each weekend, the festival includes a diverse programme of panel discussions with globally acclaimed health and wellness leaders, interspersed with group yoga and meditation classes, healing rituals, live music performances and barefoot gala celebrations on the sand. On weekdays at Soul, the focus is on a more immersive well-being journey for guests, with intimate, experiential workshops each day, and one-on-one consultations with world-renowned wellness specialists and practitioners.
The Resort
Fushi’s breathtaking island location is designed to elevate the guests’ wellness experience, inviting them to rejuvenate and relax, while delicious, wholesome menus are specially curated to support each guest’s wellness goals. The menu places emphasis on plant-based cuisine and adaptogenic foods that rebalance and restore.
Rare, one-of-a-kind experiences offered by the resort is an invitation to reconnect with nature and embrace the Slow Life ethos in between sessions: from ziplining through the rainforest to dining in the treetops, to snorkelling with expert Marine Biologists, to swimming with manta rays. The resort offers miles of pristine sandy beaches edged by tranquil turquoise waters and exquisite private villa accommodations with “Barefoot Guardians” on hand 24/7 to fulfil every request.
Thought Leaders
The inaugural edition of Soul welcomed a global line-up of thought leaders and wellness pioneers to explore the frontiers of health and wellbeing. The list of international speakers at this year’s Soul included psychologist, scientist and social entrepreneur Shamini Jain; gastroenterologist, neuroscientist and author of The Mind-Gut Connection Dr Emeran Mayer; clinical psychologist and mindfulness expert Shauna Shapiro; Goi Peace Award recipient and best-selling author Bruce Lipton, among others.
Commenting on the festival, Sonu Shivdasani, CEO and co-founder of Soneva, said: “Wellness permeates all that we do at Soneva: our sustainable, barefoot philosophy that reconnects our guests to the earth; our life-affirming natural locations; our delicious yet health-focused cuisine; and our life-changing guest experiences. The festival’s remarkable programme is an opportunity to explore every facet of health and wellbeing.”
“Soul Festival is a rare opportunity to experience a deeply immersive journey with some of the world’s leaders in wellness, health and regeneration”, adds festival director Chris Deckker. “From keynote talks and interactive panels to immersive workshops, intimate dinners and remote Island adventures, this unprecedented festival retreat is unlike any other in the world, hosted on one of the most magical Islands in the Maldives.”
A Global Event
In addition to the live, in-person sessions for Soneva Fushi guests, Soul’s sessions were streamed to a global audience. Online participants could donate to support the event, further raising funds and knowledge about the causes and initiatives supported by the Soneva Foundation and the Organic India Foundation.
Proceeds from the sale of Soul Festival tickets were donated to the Soneva Foundation and Organic India Foundation to support the development of projects that have a positive environmental, social and economic impact.
