Every February around 570 tonnes of roses are imported to the UK, equating to a carbon emission of 30kg of CO2 per bouquet*. This year, Fiji, the South Pacific archipelago and top honeymoon destination, is offering lovebirds a sustainable gift alternative in the form of a Coral Bouquet, cultivated and planted for your loved one this Valentine's Day.

Home to the third-largest barrier reef in the world, The Great Sea Reef, known locally as Cakaulevu, Fiji is surrounded by beautiful but also fragile corals at threat from warming oceans. 100% of the proceeds from this alternative coral Valentine's Day Bouquet go to support the work of leading coral restoration NGO, Coral Gardeners Fiji, who will plant and nurture a beautiful coral cluster in the name of love.

Conscientious gifters can purchase a Coral Bouquet via the Coral Gardeners website (link here) for $25 (approx. £21) per coral plant, add a personal message for their Valentine, and receive a downloadable card, including a picture of their fledgling coral bouquet, to send to their loved one on 14 February.    

Much like a relationship, coral takes love, nurturing and time to flourish. This gift lasts way beyond Valentine's Day, recipients will receive thoughtful updates from the Coral Gardeners about how their baby coral is growing. 

Coral Gardeners is a grassroots organisation established by young surfers, free divers, and fishermen of French Polynesia. Since its creation in 2017 it has planted more than 100,000 corals in French Polynesia and Fiji, and now aims to plant a million corals around the world by 2025. 

With a newly announced international hub in Fiji, headquartered at Six Senses Fiji, home of Coral Gardeners Fiji, and a Premium partnership with Tourism Fiji, Coral Gardeners Fiji is helping to regenerate and protect coral reefs through restoration and awareness efforts throughout the destination.  The Coral Gardeners recently partnered with Warner Brothers on the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom movie release, with Jason Momoa as their Chief Ambassador, helping to highlight coral bleaching and reef damage caused by climate change. 

To spread the love, encourage further donations, and increase awareness of this important conservation work, Valentines are encouraged to share images of their coral bouquets, tagging @tourismfiji and @coralgardeners, and use the hashtags #coralvalentine and #wherehappinesscomesnaturally 

For more information about Tourism Fiji, please visit www.fiji.com.fj.  

Find out more about the Coral Gardeners' important work at www.coralgardeners.org.    

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*Source: www.flowersfromthefarm.co.uk/learning-resources/the-carbon-footprint-of-flowers.  

Social Media handles:  

Instagram: @TourismFiji & @CoralGardeners 

X: @TourismFiji 

Facebook: @Fiji 

ABOUT FIJI:  

Fiji is located in the heart of the South Pacific, just ten hours from Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO), only 7 hours from Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL); 8-9 hours from Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong; 3 hours from New Zealand and 4-5 hours from Australia. The country of Fiji is comprised of 333 islands boasting luxurious private islands, all-inclusive resorts, world-renowned spas, outdoor explorations, scuba diving, sailing and marine activities, and a wide array of culinary adventures. Fiji is most widely celebrated for its culture, which uniquely welcomes its visitors “home to Fiji.” Fiji - where happiness comes naturally. 

ABOUT TOURISM FIJI: 

Tourism Fiji is the destination marketing organisational arm of the Fijian government agency responsible for marketing Fiji as the ideal destination for leisure travel globally. Tourism Fiji has established a presence in eight key markets around the globe, and its activities include advertising, public relations, media initiatives, trade shows, and programs for the tourism industry and consumer promotions to better showcase Fiji. 

ABOUT CORAL GARDENERS:  

Coral Gardeners started in 2017 on Mo'orea, in French Polynesia after a small group of ocean kids – young surfers, free divers, and fishermen – witnessed the rapid degradation of their home reef only to realise the extent of this global crisis. Today, around them a global movement of advocates, scientists, engineers, creators and business partners, all Coral reefs around the world are dying at an alarming rate, with as much as 50% of them already lost to the effects of climate change in the past 30 years, requiring immediate global action. Coral Gardeners has grown into a multidisciplinary team of more than 50 members, gathering determined to revolutionise ocean conservation and save coral reefs. To do so, they are working on three main areas of actions: active reef restoration efforts, community awareness, innovation and science development with their in-house CG Labs.

About Six Senses Fiji 

Six Senses Fiji is the exclusive Home of Coral Gardeners in Fiji and is an Official Premium Partner of Coral Gardeners. Pioneering in the world of sustainability and wellness, Six Senses Fiji integrates sustainability into every element of the resort.