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| Monday, 12 January 2004 |
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Colombo, (Lankapuvath) Eco-tourism identified as responsible travel to natural and cultural areas, which conserves the environment and sustains local host communities, is one of the leisure industry's fastest growing sectors. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) estimates that eco-tourism accounts for nearly a quarter of total tourism earnings in developing countries. For investors in the Sri Lankan travel industry, eco-tourism currently an under utilized 5 per cent of the island's tourism product. Promises greener pastures and the most rewarding returns. A spokesman of the Board of Investment (BOI) told Lankapuvath. He also said that Sri Lanka's spectacular eco-tourism resources make it one of the worlds top potential nature and eco travel destinations. A small tropical island of remarkable topographical and enigmatic variation it sustains the world's tenth richest biodiversity as well as Asias richest unit biodiversity. Ocean water, coral reefs, lagoons, wetlands, rainforests, jungles, montane wildernesses, cloud forests, high mountain chains, numerous rivers. Waterfalls, and natural and irrigation lakes harbour diverse and unique eco-systems. Sri Lanka's catalogue of eco assets includes 3350 species of endemic and indigenous flowering plants, 86 species of mammals, 441 species of birds, 242 butterfly and 138 coral species, 170 species of orchids, 500 kinds of medical herbs, every variety of tropical species and more than 60 kinds of precious and semiprecious gems. Cultural assets include impressive heritage sites, which range from pre-Christian to European colonial periods and the fascinating lifestyles, arts and crafts of an ethnically diverse population. Sri Lanka's seven UNESCO world heritage sites, 13 national parks, a bio diversity park and 93 other protected natural areas added value to an eco-tourism resource base of immense abundance. The BOI of Sri Lanka offers a range of attractive incentives and privileges to investors in eco-tourism and other tourism projects. For investments that qualify these include five year full and 15 year partial tax holidays, duty free imports of material and equipment during initial construction development, imports of duty free vehicle for the project and employment of specified expatriate staff for a period of two years. Sri Lanka's free market economy allows repatriation of earnings, fees and capital freely and the Sri Lankan constitution protects and guarantees foreign investment, he said. |
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