Resource efficiency and environmental protection in Sri Lanka as the key appealing factor as a travel destination for tourism development

Resource efficiency and environmental protection in Sri Lanka as the key appealing factor as a travel destination for tourism development

We live in an era, where the environmental degradation, depletion of resources, destruction of ecosystems, climate changes, occur. On the other hand, human beings are the convicts for the majority of these disasters. There is an increasing awareness of environmental protection that all of us should pay attention to conserve our nature without any further due. United Nations has also critically acknowledged the importance of protecting the environment, consequently naming “resource efficiency, environmental protection and climate change” as one of the main pillars of their tourism sustainability development goals.

Amidst such an atmosphere, Sri Lanka can implement plans for the tourism development establishing this key pillar in the island as the main appealing factor to attract tourists. Indeed, Sri Lanka could be an epitome to the rest of the countries in the South Asian region to initiate practices of environmental protection because there is growing attention for countries in the South Asian region for their green-house gas emissions which largely cause for global warming – in recent days India’s capital, Delhi was covered with a thick, grey pall of smog as they have reached to the unbearable levels of air pollution that affected the neighbouring states as well.

Starting from the inland of Sri Lanka, firstly the local communities must be thoroughly advised and make the systems to critically conduct the people not to pollute their surroundings and further to use relevant methods to depose the garbage. Recycling systems have to be developed in Sri Lanka up to the next level – where people remanufacture goods with recycled items. For example, Japan used the disposed of microchip particles to make meddles for Olympics 2020 which drew the attention of the entire world towards Japan for their great sustainability.  Sri Lanka, being as an island blessed with spectacular sealines. But, unfortunately, these coastal areas are becoming polluted especially with plastic bottles and unsystematic release of oil and chemicals, which ruins the beauty of these oceanfronts. Consequently, this will affect the biodiversity of these areas and ultimately unappealing for the tourists and also for the locals.   With the collaboration of the governmental bodies and private sector institutes, both locals and foreigners should be encouraged to engage with beach and wilderness clean-up campaigns and conduct awareness programs through social media in an effective and impressive manner to inspire people to protect natural resources. Moreover, with the assistance of foreign laboratories, develop bacterias which are not harmful to the ecosystems but which digest the released chemicals in water resources – this would be a better solution for marine pollution.

Furthermore, another devastating effect for the entire world is air pollution – a disaster that is increasing day by day, in fact, one of the major reasons for global warming. So far, Sri Lanka has not been in green-house gas emission countries list but as a South Asian country, we can take a carbon footprint upgrading the transport systems into green mobility. Through green mobility, we can avoid the emissions of greenhouse gases into a significant level, consequently to reduce air pollution in the country and also it will save renewable energy in a greater extent to the next generations.   

Moreover, the country itself mobilize the travel and tourism stakeholders to collaborate with this desired goal; for instance, hotels and restaurants can promote their eco-friendly services and sustainability programs. Meanwhile, tourists have to be encouraged and advised to provide their contribution in order to make this successful – encourage them to refill their bottles instead of purchasing plastic water bottles again and again, advise them to use less amount of items made of plastic, to keep the environment clean and etc.  Sri Lanka has to be further promoted as one of the countries which has strongly established eco-friendly tourism, least environmental pollution compared to rest of the region; a country which practices UN Environment and UN Tourism Sustainability Goals than no other, a country that strongly contributes to protect the environment and restore the eco-systems and biodiversity.

Author: Uthpala Pathirana