Eco tourism and brand promotion for Sri Lanka

Vipula Wanigasekera

PATA International Chairman elect of last year Hiran Cooray said, “There is no choice for hotels other than to become more environmentally proactive, and there is no better time for our industry to become more green than now”. In fact, the first tourism master plan in 1967 stipulated that no resort or hotel should be higher than a coconut tree.

At a time the tourism scenario has completely changed into a conducive environment, authorities and the industry would look beyond the present position. It is much easier to appease each other by projecting a rosy picture which may be far from realities in the long-term perspective.

Sri Lanka is gifted with unique, tranquil locations.

Every move that Sri Lanka makes must take into consideration the heavy concentration of competitors to enhance their tourism industry using both strategic and tactical means which include eco based developments.

The 3S’s, the Sun, Sand and Sea had been the bread and butter for the industry for decades and will continue to be so in the future with the development of Kalpitiya and the East. The true potential of these areas in terms of numbers and value will be ascertained as the projects progress in the coming months.

Apart from the heritage sites and other attractions, the industry has invested much with the intention of moving beyond beaches into nature culture and adventure. Among them is eco tourism which is believed to be more value based. According to Wikipedia, eco tourism appeals to ecologically and socially conscious individuals to learn new ways to live on the planet. As per definition and principles of eco tourism established by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) in 1990, ecotourism is “Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.”

The characteristics of eco tourism involves a) Travel to natural destinations b) Minimizing impact c) Building environmental awareness d) Providing direct financial benefits for conservation e) Providing financial benefits and empowerment for local people f) respecting local culture g) Supporting human rights and demographic movements.

Though typically involves visits to places where flora, fauna and cultural heritage sites, are eco tourism is considered a conceptual experience to enrich those through researching and understanding the environment. It offers an insight into the impact of human beings on nature as well as appreciation of our natural habitats.

The industries that have taken these into account in their business must be commended as they have to take a step forward from conventional tourism. Integral parts of eco tourism entail recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation and helping local communities through employment or otherwise and all these involve costs.

The Sri Lanka Eco tourism Foundation has an ambitious vision of ‘Making Sri Lanka one of the most sought after eco tourism destinations in the world and to build a professional ecotourism network, which serves as a model for eco tourism in the Asia and Pacific Region’. Such serious commitment must be supported when they come up with proposals for improvements.

In marketing terms, promotion of eco tourism enables achievement of many objectives. It promotes the brand of Sri Lanka and positioning statements when developed and launched. Sri Lanka can be differentiated with authenticity and such differentiation is necessary when a country is facing stiff competition from the region.

Politically, eco tourism helps the Governments when value tourism overtakes the numbers. It enhances income generation and reduces poverty in the tourism generating areas of Sri Lanka. There is employment generation when the programs entail conservation of the natural and cultural heritage sites.

No other country may be gifted like Sri Lanka with unique locations. Wildlife sanctuaries from Horton Plains to Yala, Uda Walawe, Wasgomuwa, Minneriya-Giritale and forest reserves such as Sinharaja, Ritigala, Kithulgala, Knuckles, Hakgala together with bird Sanctuaries such as Bundala, Kumana, Kurulu-kele plus the botanical gardens from Peradeniya and Hakgala to Gampaha to name a few known.

While the subject area is vast, the question that often arises is the economic linkage of ecotourism to industry operations. Most private sector companies need short-term revenue to maintain the organizations while they expect incentives to go eco fully or partly.

Hotels Association President Srilal Miththapala said once that no hotel will consider adopting eco friendly measures for the sake of going green unless there are financial benefits. He said that the work in the past has proved that quite a lot of financial gain can be achieved although most of the hotels have been built few decades ago and transforming is a big challenge.

The Earth Lung project slowed down after the initial ambitious beginning. That gave Sri Lanka enough publicity as a key word on a search engine as against terrorism. One needs to study them further to ascertain how to move them forward.

There are institutions such as the Responsible Tourism Partnership Sri Lanka that have made immense contribution through responsible tourism programs, the newest being ‘Greening Sri Lanka Hotels’ with 34 hotels participating to reduce energy, water and waste in a hotels sector environment conservational drive. The Tourism Minister has been actively promoting this program.

All these efforts will determine where Sri Lanka would be placed as an eco tourist destination in the coming years.