Sri Lanka Hotels promote Responsible Tourism

Sri Lanka is identified as one of the most valuable biodiversity hotspots in the world, and it is home to a small group of Elite Green Globe Members, renowned to lead by example. The Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo, Cinnamon Lodge Habarana, and Chaaya Village Habarana have operated on a green platform for years, protecting natural resources, flora and fauna, and promoting responsible tourism.

Sustainability initiatives include a wide range of activities to save energy and water resources, reduce operational costs, and positively contribute to the local communities and environment. "Last year, we could reduce our carbon footprint by 35%, electricity consumption by 37%, water consumption by 40%, and food waste by as much as 61%," said Denis Gruhier, General Manager at the Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo. "We strive to continuously identify all potential impacts on the environment, and introduce new best practices – spearheaded by our Green Team – to achieve the best possible results."

The Cinnamon Lodge Habarana has created a classic example of eco-tourism with the famed Hiriwaduna Village Trek, which includes a ride across the Mahaweli River, made possible by village catamaran owners. Guests can enjoy the local farmer’s humble hospitality, join the preparation of a simple meal and sample authentic local cuisine. The experience includes sightings of amazing birdlife, butterflies, monkeys, bears, pythons, and elephants while walking through dense forest shrubs. The hotel created the trek to steer the local villages away from cutting and selling the trees, and rather provides them with a stable income from this eco-tourism attraction. In addition, this experience allows travelers to bond with the natural beauty of Sri Lanka, while sustaining and supporting the local communities at the same time.

One of the green initiatives at the Chaaya Village Habarana resort is the production of environmentally-friendly paint, made of mud, saw dust, rice polish, brick dust, and cow dung. In harmony with nature, this paint is used on the exterior of all of the hotel’s cozy cottages. The traditional wood oven bakery is another exclusive initiative of this property. This wood oven is made of eco-friendly material, including clay bricks, clay, quart rocks, and coconut shells, has a capacity to hold four trays of traditional bread, and provides a unique dining experience for guests.

A key contribution of all Green Globe members in Sri Lanka is the creation of awareness on local culture, and history, promoting a better understanding of local rural life. The Cinnamon Lodge Habarana launched a series of organic farm projects, educating the communities, and improving their knowledge on chemical-free farming and agricultural methods.  The hotel distributed seeds to local farmers to start their organic farms, with an agreement to repurchase their produce, to be used at "Lotus", the first certified organic restaurant in Sri Lanka.

In living with the company pledge ‘I Will Be Green’, the objective is to communicate positive environmental ethics and initiatives, empowering communities to become active partners of greening development through organic farming projects.

Tourism is one of the main foreign income sources of the country, and the national Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation created an official ecotourism network through the island, allowing the development of responsible tourism with wide options of travel.