Aarunya Resort and Spa near Kandy, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is still an upcoming tourist destination. It has a myriad of experiences all jam-packed into one continuous island. Unfortunately, after a civil war and years of corruption, the country has not enjoyed the popularity it deserves from the potential it has to offer. Contrastingly, other countries in the region have become more noticeable by tourists. However, arguably Sri Lanka has just as much, if not more, to offer comparatively.
Geographically, Sri Lanka is exceedingly diverse. Lush rainforests, cloud forests, dry savannahs, mangroves, tropical coastline and mountains. The natural beauty of this island has attracted foreign travelers for centuries—Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta to name a few. They were allured by the lands abundance of precious spices, exotic tropical flora and fauna, which seemed alien to them in the regions they were from.
As a kid traveling around Sri Lanka with my family, visiting lavish resorts, I never really cared about my carbon footprint. Probably because I had no idea that was.
After tourism began opening up on the island after the civil war, there was a strong effort to take the approach of other tropical destinations; branding and promoting ecotourism. This is tourism that is sustainable and doesn't compromise the natural environment, while also giving the traveller an adventurous experience. There are many versions of what this can look like. Sri Lanka has experimented conceptually on varying scales of luxury. One of the earliest hotels to do this was Heritance Kandalama, which was designed by Sri Lanka's architectural treasure, Geoffrey Bawa. This accommodation actually immerses the visitor into the naturally occurring foliage, by allowing the ecosystem to seep into the walls of the hotel. It also has a garden and irrigation system, ensuring that both drink and food are locally and sustainably harvested for guests. Not only does this make for a unique experience, but also grants tourists with the satisfaction of traveling sustainably.
Ecotourism eventually began turning into the villa concept. This is a resort that is spread out across a natural ecosystem, with villas dotting the property—all built using natural materials. This gives the traveller that dreamy nature feel, while also maintaining a level of luxurious sophistication. However, these ecofriendly projects have mainly been concentrated in the central highlands and rainforests, and not adopted by beach resorts. Many tourists come to Sri Lanka just to see our dramatic beaches, something that we are known for. But there has been no systematic approach to combat the destruction of aesthetic and environmental appeals. The beaches are ruined by blocks of apartments and hotels, in addition to cheap restaurants. Once idyllic traditional fishing enclaves, have turned into tacky and dense beach towns. When the tourism is not sustainable, then there is less awareness in regards to trash. Contrastingly, ecofriendly accommodations typically have a more luxurious feel to them, visitors feel obligated to not pollute. Sri Lanka has only been garnering one type of traveller: expats and backpackers, however, promoting ecofriendly tourism will open up the industry to a wider and diverse set of tourists. This can make Sri Lanka a more competitive destination with some of its neighbors.
While this concept has taken a strong hold in Nuwara Eliya, they have not yet infiltrated the higher elevation cloud forests. This is probably due to their sheer remoteness. Because of the vulnerability of Sri Lanka's cloud forest, and limited number of them continuing to exist, these ecosystems should be entirely protected. While ecotourism provides an opportunity to educate tourists on the biome around them, I am not confident that Sri Lanka's tourism sector is mature enough to responsibly execute a plan like this. There are too many risks involved in having a crowded resort in such close proximity to a sensitive cloud forest. Runoff, trash, noise are only a few of the factors that would pose detriments to the biodiversity and stability of these ecosystems. However, Sri Lanka should strive for a fully eco-friendly tourism sector outside of these zones.
Ecotourism is becoming growingly popular amongst tourists. As the climate situation worsens, travelers are more aware of their carbon footprint. Promoting ecotourism in Sri Lanka will open up more avenues for a range of tourists and regional competition.
Tourists love learning about nature, and so the eco-friendly model can be used to promote environmental education. Sri Lanka has a bright future in tourism and conservation if people truly commit to it. We must act fast to protect Sri Lanka's wild nature before it is too late!
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