Eng V R Sena Peiris Director National Cleaner Production Centre Sri Lanka Empowering Villages through through Sustainable Tourism A Success Story from Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Island situated South of IndiaIsland situated South of India Recognized as the Pearl of the Indian OceanRecognized as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean 65,000 square kilometers of land65,000 square kilometers of land 20 million population20 million population Rated as an island with very high bio diversityRated as an island with very high bio diversity A popular tourist attraction with many valuable sitesA popular tourist attraction with many valuable sites

Conventional Tourism Is based on conventional assets: sun & sea Exploits the natural resources until they are degraded Run by large Tourist Operators Leads to erosion of socio cultural values Does not provide any benefit to community Therefore popular tourism is not supported by common masses common masses

Sustainable Tourism Based on natural and cultural assets/heritage of the region Built on Community participation Benefits Community Protects and conserve the environment, society and natural assets

This case study shows how empowering community lead to sustainability in tourism industry Kandalama Hotel was built on the embankment of Kandalama reservoir amidst protests from environmentalists, politicians and village community KH is Situated 170 km away from Colombo in a rural setting surrounded by Several villages The people in these villages lived by agriculture The people were living close to poverty level No other development projects were in place

Issues Raised during Protests Fragile Environment Water in Kandalama Reservoir will be polluted Fauna & Flora will be endangered Community losses its Agricultural land People losses its livelihood Tourists will Destroy the values of Society

How the Change Took Place For few years the relationship between the hotel and community was strained There were no organized activities to win the community and other pressure groups Only big operators were harvesting benefits However the hotel recruited a few employees from the nearby villages as trainees

Environment Conservation lead the way The hotel had to ensure the waste water discharged was of higher quality than water found in the reservoir They had no place to dispose solid wastes Pollution of air through emissions as dust, odour or fumes was not possible Therefore the hotel had to start a comprehensive Environmental/Resource Management program

Cleaner Production came to the Rescue The hotel initiated a Cleaner production/ resource efficiency program Water use was optimized & waste water is recycled 100% Solid wastes minimized and but what was generated is segregated to 16 categories Introduced 7R program (( Reject, Reduce, Reuse, Reclaim, Replace, Repair, Recycle) All bio degradable wastes composted for use as a soil conditioner

Community Involvement begins.. The hotel management decided to buy fruits and vegetables from the nearby farmers to reduce the carbon footprintThe hotel management decided to buy fruits and vegetables from the nearby farmers to reduce the carbon footprint Encouraged others to become suppliers of various productsEncouraged others to become suppliers of various products Decided as a policy to recruit several village youth as trainees for different departmentsDecided as a policy to recruit several village youth as trainees for different departments

Relationships Improved The community found that Kandalama Hotel is not a threat to them but a blessing The hotel initiated several programs to improve relationships Schools were provided facilities and training Health conditions were improved by supporting the hospital Environmental Education and conservation drives were launched

Aspects addressed by the Hotel for Improvement Basic Infrastructure Improving Health Services to Community Assistance to Improve Education Creating Environmental Awareness among Villagers Generating Employment Opportunities Promotion of Micro Enterprises in the Villages to Supply goods to hotel Training of Village Youth Promotion of Micro Enterprises using wastes

Improving Basic Infra-Structure in the Villages

Assistance to Improve Health Services

Assistance to Schools

Tree Planting campaign in Villages

Recycled Paper Plant using Elephant dung

Frequent Visitor Kandalama hotel has started a service to provide medical treatment to wounded wild animalsKandalama hotel has started a service to provide medical treatment to wounded wild animals This has resulted in many animals returning to hotel regularly after returning to normal lifeThis has resulted in many animals returning to hotel regularly after returning to normal life

Benefits of Partnerships Kandalama hotel provides employment to several youth in the nearby villages Several village youth trained at Kandalama hotel are employed in other hotels in the country and abroad at different levels including managerial positions Three such youth trained and employed at the Kandalama hotel are senior managers All the schools in the area visit the hotel to study the ecological conservation and good housekeeping practices

Benefits of Partnership) (continued) The divisional secretariat working very closely with the hotel has started a drive called greening Dambulla (nearby city)together with the hotel Villagers supply most of the day to day requirements of the hotel such as fruits, vegetables, milk etc. Small and Micro industries nearby buy/collect segregated waste as their raw material.

Today The community trust the hotel has enhanced their quality of life The Environment is conserved better than what it was If any pressure group tries to close the hotel the community will rally against it

Hotel Achievements Kandalama hotel has obtained ISO 9001,ISO 14001, ISO and Green Globe certificationKandalama hotel has obtained ISO 9001,ISO 14001, ISO and Green Globe certification It has won many national and international awards for its excellent achievements as a green hotel and contribution to enhance the Economy, Environment and SocietyIt has won many national and international awards for its excellent achievements as a green hotel and contribution to enhance the Economy, Environment and Society

New Horizons The entire hotel chain of Kandalama Hotel (Aitken Spence Group) now follows this philosophyThe entire hotel chain of Kandalama Hotel (Aitken Spence Group) now follows this philosophy Many popular hotels in rural settings too have resorted to empowering communities through which they enhance the quality of life of villages and in return communities protect themMany popular hotels in rural settings too have resorted to empowering communities through which they enhance the quality of life of villages and in return communities protect them Sustainable Tourism is fast gaining better recognition than conventional tourismSustainable Tourism is fast gaining better recognition than conventional tourism

The End Ayubowan- May You Live Long We invite you to visit Small Miracle The Earth Lung That is Sri Lanka