Sri Lanka among global responsible tourism changemakers

Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings Chairperson Stasshani Jayawardena accepting the Silver award for Heritance Kandalama Hotel at the awards ceremony, flanked by (from left): ICRT Global Board Member Martin Brackenbury, Chairperson Debbie Hindle, and ICRT Sri Lanka Director Charmarie Maelge

The Global Responsible Tourism Awards conducted by the International Centre for Responsible Tourism ICRT recognised 30 organisations around the world at a sideline event to the World Travel Market in London on 3 November. They had all already won Gold in regional awards held with ICRTs in Latin America, Africa, Europe, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

Judging Panel Chair ICRT global Founder Emeritus Professor Harold Goodwin said: “Responsible tourism is about making better places for people to live in and visit. As is clear from the 2022 Responsible Tourism Charter there is a wide variety of ways that businesses and destination managers can take responsibility. It is critically important that organisations support any statement of impact with facts. Our sector is still plagued with extravagant claims, we hope that national and EU mis-selling regulations will reduce this over time. All of the Global Responsible Tourism Award winners have explained how they decided what to take responsibility for, what they did and with what impact. Congratulations to them all and we hope they will inspire other organisations to follow in their footsteps.”

ICRT global Chair Debbie Hindle said: “Our awards are free to enter but hard to win. We applaud all our 2025 winners for inspiring and giving us great new ideas for the future. And we’re now starting the hunt for our 2026 changemakers, if you know of anyone who should be recognised please do suggest they enter.”

Deputy High Commissioner Manorie Mallikaratchy accepting the award for Heel Oya Community-Based Tourism (CBT) Village at the Sri Lanka stand at the World Travel Market

Sri Lankan winners in the Global Responsible Tourism Awards are: Silver award for Heritance Kandalama Hotel for Climate Adaptation and Resilience, Finalist award for Jetwing Vil Uyana for Nature Positive and Finalist award for Heel Oya Community Based Tourism (CBT) Village for All-Inclusive tourism.

Heritance Kandalama Hotel, a luxury hotel which was designed by the famous Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. It is addressing and adapting to climate change goals, by offering a long-term, well-integrated regenerative tourism model that is measurable, credible, and deeply embedded in both ecology and community. Jetwing Vil Uyana, exemplifies nature-positive tourism through its transformative restoration of degraded land into a biodiverse wetland supporting over 300 species. The judges commended Jetwing Vil Uyana for presenting a leading model in ecosystem regeneration and visitor education. Heel Oya CBT Village is a community-based tourism village in Sri Lanka. The judges praised its community-based tour packages for integrating food, trekking, local gastronomy, and traditional agriculture into immersive experiences, while offering homestays and newly curated activities. 

Charmarie Maelge of ICRT Sri Lanka explained, “This is the 20th year of the Global Responsible Tourism Awards held annually in the United Kingdom. It was a proud moment for Sri Lanka to have three winners recognised at the Awards, highlighting the country’s growing commitment to tourism. This recognition brings valuable international visibility to 

Jetwing Hotels Director – Marketing Hashan Cooray accepting the Jetwing Vil Uyana award at the Sri Lanka stand at the World Travel Market, along with (from left): ICRT Sri Lanka Director Charmarie Maelge, Deputy High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom Manorie Mallikaratchy, and ICRT Global Chairperson Debbie Hindle

Sri Lanka’s responsible tourism initiatives, strengthening the country’s reputation as a sustainable and inclusive travel destination. The awards place Sri Lanka firmly on the global map for responsible tourism excellence.”

The judges of the 2025 Global Responsible Tourism Awards, chaired by ICRT Founder Dr. Harold Goodwin, included Responsible Travel CEO Justin Francis, Village Ways Managing Director and ICRT India Foundation representative Manisha Pande, McKenzie Gayle Ltd., Chief Tourism Officer and ICRT Global Special Adviser Carol Hay, Transfrontier Parks Destinations CEO and Co-Founder and ICRT Southern Africa representative Glynn O’Leary, Crees Manu Director and ICRT Global Director Quin Meyer, ICRT Latin America Regional Director Gustavo Pinto, Echo Founder Kerry Carmichael, and from ICRT Southeast Asia, representatives Sochea Nhem and Dr. Phuong Bui.

Pix by Lakruwan Rajapaksha