Uplift Communities

Our Approach

Our host communities share their culture, craft, and spirit with our guests—so we give back through volunteering, charitable giving, and community programmes that build strong individuals.

Our focus on 3 Es—Education, Engagement, and Employment—helps us maximise our impact on local communities and support disadvantaged groups.

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Education

We support schools through programmes and new facilities to enhance teaching and learning. Our Seedlings programme provides education and vocational skills to prepare young people for life and a career. The StepUp International Laguna Kindergarten (SILK) offers immersive early learning and developmental foundations for about 140 children in Thailand. 

Seedlings Programme

In 2025, our singnature Seedlings programme supported 35 young people with training and mentorship, and provided 1,867 internship opportunities across our hotels and resorts.

StepUp International Laguna Kindergarten (SILK)

1,943 children were nurtured to date through Laguna Phuket Kindergarten and the SILK.

The Seedlings Programme

Through vocational training and job opportunities, we empower disadvantaged youth to forge successful careers within the hospitality industry.

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Engagement

Through our Stay for Good programme, we invite guests and associates to participate in activities that allow them to care for and learn about the environment, local cultures, and the importance of sustainability and resource conservation.

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Sustainability Activities

In 2025, 28,718 guests joined 16,381 of our associates to participate in 1,124 sustainability-focused activities—including Earth Hour, Earth Day, World Environment Day and conservation initiatives on land and at sea.

Restoring Through Planting Trees

In 2025, 8,231 trees were planted across our destinations with the support of 5,181 guests, 5,658 associates and 819 community members.

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Employment

To support heritage traditions and rural production in countries where we operate, we work with an ecosystem of craft artisans and responsible suppliers to create products for gifting or sale in our Galleries around the world.

Empowering Local Economic Development

In 2025, Banyan Gallery commissioned over 400,000 from local artisans, supporting 339 artisan communities.

Our Stories

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Empowering Local Economic Development

Since 2018, Laguna Bintan has supported local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by creating opportunities for community participation and income generation. One such example is Banyan Group’s signature Sundown Ritual.

Held twice a week across Banyan Tree, Angsana and Cassia Bintan, the Sundown Ritual invites guests to experience local cuisine, performances and crafts, while providing MSMEs with a platform to showcase and sell their products. Originating during the pandemic and formalised in 2023, the event has been held 192 times, welcoming 3,922 guests and generating sales of more than 3,188 MSME products.

Beyond market access, Laguna Bintan has also deepened its support through equipment provision and targeted training programmes, helping local businesses improve product quality, expand capacity and strengthen long-term livelihoods.

Building Community Resilience Together

As an active participant in the communities we call home, Banyan Group views public health, safety and community resilience as shared responsibilities.

At Banyan Tree Anji, hotel installed a hygienic water collection device along the Xiaoling Ancient Route, providing nearby villagers with safe spring water and reducing health risks.

At Banyan Tree Phuket, a deep-well water purifier was installed at a local school, enabling over 750 students and teachers to access safe drinking water while reducing operational costs.

In Indonesia, Garrya Bianti Yogyakarta partnered with local organisations to improve sanitation and safety at community schools, including the installation of water filtration systems and essential infrastructure.

Embracing Cultural Heritage

Across our destinations, Banyan Group works with local communities to preserve and celebrate cultural traditions through long-term partnerships.

From traditional crafts and textile practices in China to heritage-based experiences across our global portfolio, these initiatives ensure cultural expressions remain community-led, economically meaningful and relevant in a modern context—while offering guests authentic and immersive ways to connect with local cultures.

Challenges

Community impact is always local, even when the ambition is global, which creates a few practical challenges:

Delivering Consistent Programmes Across Diverse Contexts
Operating across diverse social, economic and regulatory environments requires locally tailored approaches, making it more complex to scale community initiatives consistently across markets.
Building Capacity and Continuity
Limited resources, evolving partnerships and associate turnover can affect programme continuity, highlighting the need for stronger structures, shared tools and sustained institutional knowledge across properties.

Next Steps

We are committed to continue the important work of uplifting our host communities.

In 2026 and beyond, we will:

Strengthen consistency and capabilities — We will enhance Group-level approaches by consolidating best practices and strengthening capabilities in youth development, skills training and employment pathways.

Enhance guest-facing community experiences — Stay for Good activities will be further refined to create more meaningful, place-based experiences that deepen understanding and strengthen community impact.

Scale proven models and renew grant cycles — Successful community initiatives will be expanded across more destinations, alongside a new cycle of Greater Good Grants informed by clearer impact priorities and improved data insights.

Expand the Gallery’s geographic footprint — We will explore new regions while deepening engagement in existing markets, supporting artisan communities and preserving cultural integrity.

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Support Wellbeing and Development

We believe that when our associates are well cared for, they in turn can care for our guests. So we take measures to ensure that our work environment is nurturing, inclusive, and supportive.

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Promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and championing the importance of diversity—creating opportunities for our associates, guests, and host communities to thrive as their authentic selves.

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Take Climate Action

Climate change has far-reaching impacts on our destinations including on weather conditions, water security, and biodiversity. Because we want a future where everyone can thrive, we are playing our part in making hospitality a low-carbon industry.

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Reduce Waste

With global waste projected to increase by 70% by 2050, adopting a circular economy and addressing food loss and waste is a matter of urgency. We strive to minimise the waste our operations generate while maximising composting, recycling and reuse. Being responsible stewards of our destinations, we also support community waste management efforts.

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Conserve Water

Water is a precious resource and safeguarding it for local communities is our priority. We are therefore committed to using water efficiently, and capturing and recycling as much of it as we can.

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Respect Biodiversity

How we choose our locations, design, build, and operate our business all have the potential to impact nature. We are determined to make our impact a positive one, especially on the land and sea surrounding our hotels and resorts.

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