Misool Demonstration Regarding Ownership Shuts Resort

[Cert1967]

From Misool's FB Page

Misool​

April 11 at 10:35 AM · ​

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It’s been quite a week over here at Misool Resort. Last Thursday, community members from a nearby village arrived at the resort island and staged a demonstration, contesting the outcome of a legal dispute between two families regarding ownership of the island on which Misool Resort was built.​

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Unfortunately, diving and snorkelling were impeded, which resulted in the temporary closure of the resort and curtailing of the trip that was already in motion. With the comfort of our guests in mind, we were also forced to cancel the trip scheduled to begin on April 12th.​

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Thanks to successful discussions between community leaders and senior members of the Raja Ampat government, the situation has now been resolved. We continue to engage all relevant stakeholders to deepen the shared commitment to long-term protection of Raja Ampat’s reefs.​

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We are very pleased to be able to welcome guests back on April 19th.​

We want to extend a huge thanks to our guests and partners who were affected. Your grace and understanding in the face of disappointment and uncertainty were truly phenomenal and made a difficult situation that little bit easier. You know who you are, and you rock!​

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Our business and our charitable foundation were established to protect the incredible marine environment for all of us, for generations to come. Doing so thoughtfully and with intention brings direct benefits to coastal communities and economies. We have always valued people and conservation over profit, and we remain committed to being good neighbors while upholding the laws of Indonesia.​

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One thing we have learned over the last twenty years is that conservation programmes such as ours never really end - there simply will never be a moment when we hang up our hats and declare our work done. Instead, we remain dynamic and adapt to new challenges. Our team of more than 200 is indefatigable, working away in the background to meet these challenges. These situations open dialogues and present opportunities to explore adaptive solutions to complex issues. Plus, they remind us of just how unstoppable the Misool team is!​

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Thanks again to everyone for being patient with us while waiting for updates - we know you also care deeply about the future of conservation in Raja Ampat. And for those of you who had travel plans disrupted, we hope we’ll get another opportunity to welcome you back.​

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We can’t wait to get back to doing what we do best on April 19th.​

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With love, Team Misool​

 

[davehicks]

Wow, I wonder what they did for the people who had canceled visits? Did they find them a new resort, or a liveaboard? Maybe a credit for a return trip this decade?

Speak up if you were impacted!

 

[Joneill]

Wow, I wonder what they did for the people who had canceled visits? Did they find them a new resort, or a liveaboard? Maybe a credit for a return trip this decade?

Speak up if you were impacted!

Hopefully they gave a full refund (or a credit for thise OK with a credit). However, this a a key reason why travel insurance is always a good idea - but I wonder if a siutuaion like this might be tricky to get covered (though they did close the resort).

This would suck big time as, aside from the disappointment for what was likely a bucket list trip, it’s not just the resort and missed diving. It’s your vacation time, airfares, transit hotels, meals, etc., that have all been wasted!

I would be pissed for sure, but get that it was not an expected situation - makes one want to question other island resorts like this to avoid this type of issue!