SEDF, RFE to develop eco-tourism

MoU: South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) and the Rain Forest Ecolodge (RFE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work jointly to develop the Ecological project, a first of its kind in Sri Lanka.

The signing took place recently, at Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Under the MOU, SEDF will provide RFE with technical assistance on SME supply chain linkage, ISO and Green Globe certification as well as marketing services. Those are some of the key elements for developing this pioneering greenfield eco tourism project.

Gilles Galludec, Country Manager, IFC Sri Lanka, Maldives and Programme Manager SEDF Sri Lanka Maldives signed on behalf of SEDF while Prema Cooray Chairman of Rain Forest Ecolodge signed on behalf of RFE.

Hemantha Ratnayake CEO and several other officers of RFE and IFC, SEDF were also present at the signing ceremony.

Galludec expressed that “IFC-SEDF is pleased to partner with such a promising project to turn the face of Sri Lankan tourism and to be recognized as a destination for sustainable, differentiated, and high value tourism.” He further stated, “It fits in perfectly with the IFC model of developing environmental and social sustainability projects”.

RFE is a unique partnership amongst key stake holders of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. To position Sri Lanka in the eco-tourism market, RFE is being developed as a benchmark eco lodge and biodiversity reserve located in a privately managed forest bordering Sinharaja Rainforest.

This best practice model will establish standards for ecotourism development to be replicated by the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. The project will also demonstrate the commercial viability of environmental tourism.

SEDF Sri Lanka Maldives is a multi-donor funded facility managed and operated by International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group and funded by IFC and the Governments of Norway and the Netherlands.