• Sri Lanka Wildlife Tourism Promotion Festival held in London

The beautiful island of Sri Lanka is immensely blessed with high biodiversity and is a global biodiversity hotspot. Currently, there are 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world that support nearly 45% of bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species and more than half of the world’s plant species as endemic species.

Sri Lanka has the highest density of leopards in Asia, over 500 species of birds, over 6,000 elephants, and a very wide spectrum of amphibian species. Of the bird species, 33 are considered endemic.

What is on offer in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is one of the best places to see and photograph leopards. At the beautiful Minneriya National Park, one may witness the largest yearly congregation of wild Asian elephants in the world. This particular wildlife gem, often referred to as ‘The Gathering’, is on par with other iconic wildlife phenomena, as seen at the Serengeti and the Amazon.

Sri Lanka boasts diverse marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, seagrass beds, and a variety of marine mammals and fish. The blue whale is the largest animal to have inhabited our planet, and Sri Lanka is the best place to see it. Sri Lanka, with its diverse climatic zones and habitats, all within a small compact area, is able to offer its visitors some of the most extraordinary and spectacular wildlife experiences.

Recent surveys suggest that the country hosts up to 140 species of mammals, 174 species of reptiles, 107 species of freshwater fish, 59 species of amphibians, and 4,000 species of flowering plants. Furthermore, Sri Lanka is blessed with beautiful beaches and a mountainous region towards the central part of the country. In addition, its people are very friendly and ever willing to help both the tourist and the local experience all the facets on offer within Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Wildlife Tourism Promotion Festival

With such a rich and brilliant product on offer, the inaugural Sri Lanka Wildlife Tourism Promotion Festival held at the Sri Lanka High Commission in London from 15-17 July aimed to showcase this richness to a broad spectrum of stakeholders. This festival was jointly organised by Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts in partnership with Cinnamon Nature Trails, the Wilderness and Wildlife Foundation, the Sri Lanka High Commission in the UK, and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.

In a nutshell, the Sri Lanka Wildlife Tourism Promotion Festival was able to beautifully showcase Sri Lanka’s remarkable natural heritage to a diverse global audience. It highlighted and reinforced Sri Lanka’s position as one of the world’s premier wildlife destinations and beautifully displayed Sri Lanka’s extraordinary biodiversity.

The opening ceremony 

The festival was opened by the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the UK Nimal Senadheera. He clearly highlighted Sri Lanka’s potential as a regenerative tourism destination. According to Cinnamon Nature Trails Vice President Chitral Jayatilake, the aim of this festival was to showcase important aspects of sustainable wildlife tourism experiences from Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Wilderness and Wildlife Foundation Director Dushyantha Silva highlighted the power of partnerships in advancing conservation education and awareness. According to him, the inaugural Sri Lanka Wildlife Tourism Promotion Festival represents a transformative approach to conservation diplomacy. He added that collaborative conservation efforts can lead to real and tangible positive impacts. British wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein reflected on the remarkable overall positivity that radiates from Sri Lanka.

The speakers stressed the point that Sri Lanka is a traveller’s paradise from many perspectives, including what may be experienced in the wildlife and historical spheres. In addition to the big five sightings, there is also a whole range of other wildlife experiences that are waiting to be experienced and explored.

The event served as a platform for fostering collaboration across conservation and tourism stakeholders. It succeeded in bringing together conservationists, tourism bodies, academics, travel operators, and policy influencers.

Photographic exhibition

Eleven star wildlife photographers provided the visitors to this festival with an awesome view of the depth and breadth of the spectacular wildlife present in Sri Lanka. Seventy fabulous photographs were able to wonderfully showcase Sri Lanka’s breath-taking natural beauty and its rich biodiversity.

I was really awestruck by this beautiful display of wildlife photographs from Sri Lanka. The star photographic authors at the event included Dushyantha Silva, Chitral Jayatilake, Raveendra Siriwardene, Heshan Peiris, Mevan Piyasena, Milinda Wattegedara, Vimukthi Weerathunga, Melisa Fernando, Nilantha Kodithuwakku, Amal Sangeeth and B. Daya. These outstanding photographers were able to light a flame of excitement and anticipation within the viewer, with many looking forward to visiting the paradise isle of Sri Lanka.                

High tea panel discussion

The high tea panel discussion was held on 16 July under the theme ‘Sri Lanka as a diverse wildlife and nature tourism destination’. The session was moderated by Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne.

The panel of speakers included Chitral Jayatilake (Sri Lanka: A safari through an ecological wonder), Dushyantha Silva (Roots of keystone species: A new perspective for tourism), Chris Coe (Sri Lanka: A photographer’s impressions), Chandika Jayaratne (How to market eco-tourism and wildlife products in sustaining conservation of habitats and species), and Juliet Coombe (Elephant conservation).

De Silva Wijeyeratne spoke on why Sri Lanka is a top all-round wildlife destination. The session expertly explored Sri Lanka’s potential as a premier wildlife and nature tourism destination.

Expert-led and networking events 

There were other networking events with key international stakeholders and industry professionals. The conservation and tourism sectors were well represented at these events. From a tourism and business perspective, the wildlife festival specifically targeted high-value market segments including environmentalists, wildlife photographers, luxury travel media, premium travel trade operators, and corporate partners.

The inaugural Sri Lanka Wildlife Tourism Promotion Festival was a brilliant and innovative initiative to highlight the fabulous and beautiful experiences the island referred to as the ‘paradise isle’ or ‘pearl of the Indian Ocean’ has to offer in the wildlife sphere. Such positioning of Sri Lanka as a beacon for responsible wildlife tourism would definitely be of benefit to both its biodiversity and to the local communities.

(The writer is a medical doctor, academic, and nature, history, and art enthusiast)

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication