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In 2007 Tourism Ambassador for Sri Lanka Alston Koch launched ‘A Land like No Other; A Tourism EarthLung’ a programme that seeks to make Sri Lanka a carbon free destination by 2018. At the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Ministers’ Summit, held during the World Travel Market (WTM) in London the programme was re-introduced globally, with Mr Koch singing a song titled ‘A land like no other; A Tourism EarthLung’, an appeal to all citizens of Earth to care for Mother Earth.
The EarthLung Programme’s primary aim is to make Sri Lanka a carbon free destination by 2018. Endorsed by the UNWTO as a way forward for tourism, the programme sends a strong appeal to travellers, particularly those travelling to long-haul destinations, in mitigating travel guilt.
Sri Lanka hopes to include all sectors such as education, forestry, wildlife conservation, and tourism and work closely in order to see this programme to completion. While mitigating climate change is not easy, it is mandatory for the Earth’s survival.
Since tourism is directly dependent on the natural and the socio-cultural environment, it is imperative that it gives sufficient focus.
One shareholder that was successful in implementing this programme is Hotel Sigiriya. The hotel has retro-fitted the hotel to increase its energy-efficiency and sustainability, while measuring its performance as a management tool for continuous improvement.
The Sri Lanka’s Turtle Conservation Project, which falls under the Conservation of Endangered Species category, is committed to working with poachers. The project encourages every citizen, even ‘beach boys’, to become turtle guides who will enthusiastically contribute to the protection of the turtles nesting sites.
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