Sri Lanka must prioritise sustainable destination management as global tourism trends shift: Expert

INTREPID Travel Asia-Australia Managing Director Natalie Kidd said Sri Lanka must urgently decide the kind of tourism future it wants and embed strong systems of sustainable destination management if it is to protect its natural assets, strengthen competitiveness and fully capitalise on rising global demand.

- BY CHARUMINI DE SILVA

Kidd, who leads operations for the world's largest adventure travel company across over 120 destinations, said Sri Lanka already possesses “remarkable natural, cultural and human advantages” that are driving rapid growth for Intrepid.

Delivering the keynote during the 'Tourism How can we finally market Sri Lanka as a tourist destination?' session of the Sri Lanka Economic Summit organised by The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce last week, she noted that Sri Lanka broke into the company's global top 10 destinations for the first time in 2024, with arrivals doubling that year and growing a further 50% each in 2025 and 2026.

"Sri Lanka has a diversity of attractions; beautiful landscapes, rich culture and iconic biodiversity and most importantly, warm and welcoming people. With peace and stability, Sri Lanka has much to offer. But now is the time to determine what future Sri Lanka wants for tourism and to learn from examples around the world," she said.

Kidd stressed that tourism's global footprint makes responsible practices essential. With one in 10 workers worldwide earning a livelihood from tourism, she said the industry, when well-managed, can preserve heritage, conserve biodiversity, distribute wealth and foster "people-to-people diplomacy" in an increasingly polarised world.

But she warned that these benefits "do not just happen" and can be quickly reversed when volumes exceed capacity.