Global Regenerative Tourism Leaders Embark on Unique Cross-Continental CEO Exchange - April 2026

Two of the world's twelve Long Run Accredited Global Ecosphere Retreats® undertake leadership immersion between Kenya and Indonesia.

Cottar's Safaris (Maasai Mara, Kenya) and Nikoi and Cempedak Islands (Indonesia) will undertake a cross-continental CEO Exchange throughout April 2026, as Louise Cottar, CEO of Cottar's Safaris, and Andrew Dixon, CEO of Nikoi and Cempedak Islands, embark on a one-month leadership immersion. The initiative is designed to bring fresh perspective to their own businesses, strengthen operational resilience, and identify opportunities to further improve their sustainable tourism practices.

Both organisations are among just twelve properties worldwide recognised and accredited as Long Run Global Ecosphere Retreats®, reflecting their exceptional commitment to the highest sustainability standards across conservation, community, culture and commerce.

In an unusually open leadership exchange, each CEO will step directly into the other's organisation and operating environment, with Cottar based across Nikoi and Cempedak Islands in Indonesia and Dixon working alongside the Cottar's Safaris team in the Maasai Mara. By immersing themselves in each other's day-to-day realities, from conservation and community partnerships to guest experience and operations, the initiative offers a rare opportunity for honest external perspective and shared learning at the highest level of sustainable tourism, with the aim of supporting continued improvement across conservation, community engagement and guest experience.

Louise Cottar, CEO of Cottar's Safaris, comments, “when sustainability leaders collaborate openly, progress accelerates. This exchange gives us the opportunity to step back, learn from another exceptional ecosystem and return with insights that strengthen the long-term health of our business, the landscapes we operate in and the communities we work alongside, while continuing to evolve our guest experience.”

Andrew Dixon, CEO of Nikoi and Cempedak Islands, adds “while our environments couldn't be more different, moving from small tropical islands to the vast plains of the Maasai Mara, our core challenges in regenerative tourism are remarkably similar. I am eager to see how the Cottar's Safaris team manages their community and conservation balance first-hand, and I believe this level of radical transparency will uncover new ways to strengthen our own '4C' impact at Nikoi and Cempedak”

The exchange will place each CEO within very different ecological and operational contexts - from East Africa's wildlife conservancies to Indonesia's fragile marine ecosystems - offering a fresh perspective on how different environments shape responsible tourism. Lessons from the experience are expected to inform future strategy across both organisations, with both Cottar and Dixon hoping the initiative also highlights the value of more open collaboration between conservation-led tourism businesses.

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For further information visit: www.cottars.com / www.nikoi.com / www.cempedak.com 

For interview opportunities, further information, CEO bios, images, or additional quotes, please contact Sofie Askew at SA & CO:  sofie@saprco.com | +44 (0)7590 398366

Notes to Editors: 

About Nikoi Private Island - Nikoi is a 15-hectare private island 8km off the east coast of Bintan, Indonesia. It is owned and operated by a small group of friends who have lived in Asia for most of their working lives and share a long-standing interest in the outdoors, nature, food and wine. Nikoi joined The Long Run in 2013 and became a Global Ecosphere Retreat (GER)® member in 2022, reflecting its commitment to a holistic approach to sustainability guided by the 4Cs: conservation, community, culture and commerce.

About Cempedak Private Island - Cempedak is a 17-hectare private island located just south of its sister property, Nikoi. Built on the same ethos of responsible tourism, Cempedak offers a back-to-nature experience centred around 20 double-storey, open-air, bamboo villas. It differs from Nikoi in its adults-only policy and bamboo-focused architecture, while maintaining a strong emphasis on food, drink and considered service. Cempedak is a fellow member of The Long Run, aligning its operations with the same 4C framework of conservation, community, culture and commerce.

About Cottar's Safaris - Multi-award-winning Cottar's Safaris is located within the private Olderkesi Conservancy in Kenya, part of the greater Maasai Mara ecosystem. Owned and managed by the fifth generation of the Cottar family, it is the oldest family-run safari company in Africa. 

Cottar's 1920s Camp is one of only twelve accredited Global Ecosphere Retreats® in the world, reflecting exceptional commitment to sustainability and achievement of the highest standards across conservation, community, culture and commerce.

Cottar's Safaris comprises both Cottar's 1920s Camp and Cottar's Bush Villa, offering bespoke and genuinely sustainable safari experiences shaped by more than a century of guiding heritage, abundant wildlife and deep community partnerships.

About The Long Run - Founded in 2009, The Long Run is a global community of pioneers leading the sustainable tourism movement. Collectively, its members protect and regenerate over 23 million acres of biodiverse landscapes and marine areas, improve the lives of more than 350,000 people through education and employment, invest millions each year in conservation and cultural projects, and support over 100 unique cultures worldwide.

Members range from eco-lodges and nature-based tourism businesses to conservation organisations, travel agents and destination management companies, all united by their commitment to positive impact. 

At the heart of The Long Run is its holistic 4Cs framework: Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce. This model empowers members to balance environmental stewardship with socio-economic responsibilities, fostering long-term prosperity for both people and planet.

This unique network is unlike any other, providing a platform for shared learning and transformative change in the tourism and conservation sectors. Learn more at www.thelongrun.org