How Castaway Island’s Sculptural Coral Gene Bank In Fiji Is Revolutionizing Eco-tourism – A 2025 Magellan Award Winner!

Published on October 25, 2025

By: Paramita Sarkar

Castaway Island, Fiji, has taken nan world shape pinch its Sculptural Coral Gene Bank initiative, winning nan 2025 Travel Weekly Magellan Award successful nan class Hospitality Marketing: Live Installation/Activation Program. This prestigious grant recognizes nan pioneering activity of Castaway Island and its partners successful merging art, science, and sustainable tourism.

The Magellan Awards grant nan recreation industry’s astir exceptional achievements successful hospitality, tourism, aviation, and cruise sectors. Castaway Island’s award-winning task not only showcases its committedness to biology stewardship but besides positions nan edifice arsenic a world leader successful regenerative tourism. The inaugural marks a important milestone for Fiji’s tourism sector, drafting attraction to nan important domiciled of sustainable practices successful preserving nan region’s marine ecosystems.

What Is nan Sculptural Coral Gene Bank?

Launched successful June 2025, nan Sculptural Coral Gene Bank is simply a groundbreaking fusion of art and marine conservation, developed successful collaboration pinch nan non-profit statement Counting Coral. The installation is simply a stunning underwater creation portion constructed from marine-grade stainless steel, containing much than 3,000 precision components. Positioned 600 feet offshore, it functions arsenic some a living sculpture and a long-term coral cistron bank, lodging a postulation of resilient and uncommon coral species. This innovative installation provides a unsocial level for scientists to study coral adaptability and growth, basal successful combating nan challenges posed by ambiance alteration and coral reef degradation.

Where Is nan Coral Gene Bank Located?

The Sculptural Coral Gene Bank is located 600 feet offshore from Castaway Island successful Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands, a region renowned for its pristine reefs and vibrant marine biodiversity. Guests astatine Castaway Island tin acquisition nan installation firsthand done various marine biology tours, snorkel sessions, and coral planting activities. The installation offers a unsocial opportunity for visitors to prosecute successful hands-on conservation, pinch proceeds from snorkel trips supporting Counting Coral’s restoration work crossed Fiji’s coral reefs.

When Did nan Sculptural Coral Gene Bank Begin?

The inaugural was launched successful June 2025 to coincide pinch World Ocean Month, highlighting nan urgent request for water conservation and sustainable tourism. Since then, nan task has gained world nickname for its innovative attack to blending art, science, and tourism. Castaway Island’s dedication to water preservation and regeneration has group a caller modular for eco-tourism successful nan Pacific region.

Why Is This Project Significant?

The Sculptural Coral Gene Bank is simply a testament to nan increasing activity successful regenerative tourism and nan value of protecting susceptible marine environments. With global coral reefs facing threats from rising water temperatures, pollution, and overfishing, nan installation provides a captious instrumentality for studying and preserving coral type that are basal to nan wellness of water ecosystems. Moreover, nan initiative’s accent connected community engagement done guided tours and unrecorded coral planting sessions straight involves visitors successful conservation efforts, fostering a deeper relationship pinch quality and promoting sustainable tourism practices.

This grant further underscores Castaway Island’s long-standing committedness to biology sustainability. The task besides aligns pinch nan resort’s broader sustainability practices, including Green Seal-certified operations that attraction connected waste reduction, energy conservation, and local employment. This holistic attack to sustainability ensures that tourism astatine Castaway Island benefits some nan situation and nan section community.

How Will nan Sculptural Coral Gene Bank Expand?

Looking ahead, Castaway Island and its partner OUTRIGGER scheme to grow nan Sculptural Coral Gene Bank inaugural successful 2026, pinch nan preamble of a secondary coral nursery. This nursery will attraction connected coral fragmentation and propagation, ensuring nan sustainable regeneration of Fiji’s reefs. The OUTRIGGER Zone program, portion of a world conservation initiative, encourages guests to participate successful coral planting, mangrove reforestation, and different biology acquisition activities.

The OUTRIGGER Zone has already made a important impact, planting and protecting much than 100 shot fields of coral worldwide. By enhancing nan Sculptural Coral Gene Bank and expanding coral restoration efforts, Castaway Island intends to protect Fiji’s marine biodiversity for early generations.

What Does This Award Mean for Fiji’s Tourism Industry?

The nickname of nan Sculptural Coral Gene Bank astatine nan 2025 Magellan Awards not only highlights Castaway Island’s innovative attack to sustainable tourism but besides signals a displacement successful really nan tourism industry tin lend to environmental preservation. As Fiji’s astir celebrated backstage land resort, Castaway Island sets a caller benchmark for responsible tourism that values some impermanent acquisition and biology impact.

This task is poised to animate different resorts and tourism operators successful nan Pacific region and beyond to merge sustainable practices into their offerings. By showcasing nan powerful domiciled that creation and subject tin play successful conservation, Castaway Island has positioned itself arsenic a global leader successful eco-tourism, creating a blueprint for really nan tourism manufacture tin thrive while protecting nan earthy world.

With nan 60th day of Castaway Island approaching successful 2026, nan resort’s continued committedness to sustainability and water stewardship is expected to fortify its position arsenic 1 of Fiji’s astir beloved and innovative destinations.