Conservation Tourism Webinar Series : Protecting the Future of Tourism
If you missed our live webinar, you can watch the recording here.
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has always been heavily reliant on nature and its many blessings. In this 2-part webinar series Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance will explore wildlife and nature conservation as it applies to the future of tourism in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s rich biodiversity and natural landscapes form the very foundation of our tourism industry. Nature-based tourist attractions bring in substantial revenue for local and national economies and contribute heavily to employment.
Unfortunately, Sri Lanka’s natural world faces many challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity to pause and reassess our priorities to make tourism in Sri Lanka resilient, sustainable, and future-focused. International travel is expected to resume once global vaccination programs reach their targets. From an industry perspective, what are we doing to protect our ‘golden goose’ and how should we best prepare ourselves for tomorrow’s travelers?
Panelists:
Dr Sumith Pilapitiya, is a wildlife researcher and conservationist. He is the former Director General of Sri Lanka’s Department of Wildlife Conservation. He has led Environmental Management, Biodiversity and Wildlife Conservation Projects in several South Asian countries for the World Bank. More recently he has been spending his time researching elephant behaviour in Sri Lanka and addressing the human elephant conflict.
Srilal Miththapala, is an avid wildlife lover, conservationist and sustainable tourism expert. He is a past President of The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL). He has served on a Sub-Committee appointed by the Prime Minister’s office to draw up an action plan for Improving the overall Wildlife Tourism Experience in Sri Lanka’s premier Wildlife Park – Yala. He is particularly passionate about elephants and has published many articles on their importance to Sri Lanka, especially to the tourism industry.
Toby Sinclair, is an international expedition guide, wildlife documentary filmmaker and conservationist with a passion for sustainable tourism. He is a recipient of the Carl Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Award. He is Director of &Beyond Asia, Founder and past Vice President of The Responsible Tourism Society of India (previously Eco-Tourism Society of India). He has been a Trustee of Global Tiger Patrol, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Ranthambhore Foundation.
Introduction by Co Chair Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance, Malik J Fernando, and moderated by Niranga Gunaratna (Director of Communications Shangri-La Colombo & Shangri-La Hambantota).
Submit questions for discussion at the webinar prior to Thursday 26th August 2021 by emailing [email protected]
Limited registrations now open via Zoom
The webinar will also be broadcast LIVE on Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance Facebook Page
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