Monday Oct 05, 2026
Monday Oct 05, 2026
Monday, 5 October 2026 04:55 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
As tourism increasingly moves beyond conventional leisure experiences, Sri Lanka is seeking to turn its rich wetland ecosystems into destinations for wellness, conservation and community-based economic activity, with an international summit opening in Kotte on 9 October.
The Wellness in Wetlands International Conference (WIWC) 2026), scheduled from 9 to 12 October in the historic Kingdom of Kotte, will bring together 34 international experts from 15 countries, including environmental psychologists, ecologists, ecotourism specialists, indigenous knowledge holders and community leaders.
Organised by the Emotional Intelligence and Life Skills Training Team Ltd., the conference is expected to provide a platform to examine how wetland conservation can be integrated with nature-based wellness and tourism development.
The international participation this year extends beyond Asia, with experts from Mexico and Kenya joining the program.
The initiative comes as Sri Lanka continues to diversify its tourism products, with wellness and nature-based tourism emerging as areas with potential to attract higher-value visitors while supporting environmental conservation and local communities.
WIWC 2026 will focus particularly on developing models that connect wetland ecosystem preservation with mental and planetary health. The organisers also see youth development as a key component, with the conference expected to explore ways of equipping young people with life skills and knowledge to participate in nature-based wellness initiatives and the wider green economy.
The conference is being organised in collaboration with SriLankan Airlines, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), the Professional Wetlands Guides Association and the Kotte Green Tourism Network.
It has also received official backing from the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Co-operative Development.
The organisers said the selection of Kotte as the venue would highlight the relationship between Sri Lanka’s historical heritage and its wetland ecosystems, while drawing attention to the tourism potential of wetlands within and around the capital.
The program will bring together stakeholders from the tourism, hospitality, environmental, wellness and research sectors, with the organisers inviting local entrepreneurs, practitioners and young leaders to participate.
The conference is expected to explore how Sri Lanka could develop new tourism experiences around its natural ecosystems without compromising conservation objectives.
With international wellness tourism increasingly moving towards experiences that combine nature, health and cultural engagement, WIWC 2026 seeks to position Sri Lanka’s wetlands as an asset not only for biodiversity conservation but also for wellbeing, sustainable tourism and community-based economic development.
