Equipping tourism industry for a sustainable future

Thursday, 1 September 2022 02:56 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Handover of equipment to SLTDA and the Central Province Tourism Department, and presenting studies on Sigiriya and Knuckles-Riverston by Reps from UNDP and EU. (Left picture) Edoardo Spacca (EU), Priantha Fernando (SLTDA) and Malin Herwig (UNDP). (Right picture) Edoardo Spacca (EU), Anuri Tilakaratne (Dept. of Trade, Commerce and Tourism), Malin Herwig (UNDP) and Kumar Joseph De Silva (UNDP)

Sri Lanka’s tourism sector has been subject to a series of challenges since 2019, followed by the protracted impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now, the economic crisis. The impacts of these crises have brought to light a host of challenges that continue to compound the hardships of the most vulnerable populations that engage in the tourism industry.

Placing people first, the Ministry of Tourism and the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka with financial assistance from the European Union (EU) in Sri Lanka has been supporting the tourism sector through the ‘Transforming Tourism in Sri Lanka: Emerging from crisis as a strong, resurgent and rebranded industry’ project which has been ongoing for the past year. The project’s central focus is on building a transformed, competitive, and resilient tourism sector, with requisite policies and institutional capacities to deliver unique and sustainable tourism experiences.

With global and local calls for mainstreaming sustainability principles within all the facets of the tourism sector, SLTDA, with the support of UNDP in Sri Lanka’s BIOFIN program, established a Sustainability Unit, marking a step forward toward green development within the tourism sector. With the participation of UNDP in Sri Lanka Officer in Charge Malin Herwig and EU Delegation to Sri Lanka Deputy Head of Cooperation Edoardo Spacca, equipment was handed over to SLTDA Chairman Priantha Fernando, for the Sustainability Unit, and to Central Province Department of Trade, Commerce and Tourism Provincial Director Anuri Tilakaratne, along with UNDP in Sri Lanka Chief Technical Advisor – Tourism Kumar Joseph De Silva, to further support their activities.

Two Carrying Capacity Studies and the Value Chain Studies conducted for Sigiriya and Knuckles-Riverston were also presented at the meeting to Minister of Tourism and Lands Harin Fernando. Notable attendees included Ministry of Tourism and Lands Secretary W.A. Chulananda Perera, SLTDA Domestic Tourism and Community Relations Director Upali Rathnayake, and senior officials of the Ministry.

SLTDA Chairman Priantha Fernando (left) and Tourism and Lands Minister Harin Fernando