Integrating Business Skills Into Ecotourism Operations IUCN/KUONI Training Workshop 14 - 18 October 2013 Negombo, Sri Lanka

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Integrating Business Skills into Ecotourism Operations IUCN/KUONI Training Workshop 14 - 18 October 2013 Negombo, Sri Lanka

‘What makes a good Ecotourism Product?’

Srilal Miththapala BSc(Eng); CEng; FIEE; FIH;

Project Director, E U Switch Asia Programme Greening Sri Lanka Hotels Project, Past President of the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka Board Member, National Hotel Classification Committee . Board Member, Consumer Consultative Committee, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Auyobowan !

May all beings have long life

• Market Analysis

• The Product offering

• Understanding & mitigating impacts on local communities

Conservation ffcj úúO;ajh" Bio-diversity; iajNdúl iïm;a Natural Resources ixrlaIKh

Local Involvement Tourism Business Poverty Alleviation; Profitability Empowerment

m%cd iyNd.S;ajh" ÿmam;alu ixpdrl jHdmdrfha ,dN wvqlsÍu" n,.ekaùu ,eîï © Srilal Miththapala Ecotourism

‚Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people."

The International Ecotourism Pic : WEB Society (TIES) in 1990

categories

Adventure Tourism

Sustainable Tourism Conventional

Tourism

Ecotourism

Nature Tourism

• Product & Service Offering

• Impact

• Sustainability

© Srilal Miththapala The Market- Customers The Emerging new Hospitality Customers • Information savvy • More demanding • Wide and complex range of demands • Seeking more personalized experience • Higher expectations levels

Hotels 2020: Beyond Segmentation • Move away from segmentation and towards a ‘total service’ model • Delivering a personalized experience through a wide spectrum of service choice • Immersive, tactile and multi-dimensional technology interfaces • Deep understanding of a more geographically, financially, generationally and attitudinally diverse and rapidly evolving customer base

Ref: Hotels 2020: Beyond Segmentation: Research by Fast Future Research for Amadeus 10 © Srilal Miththapala Who are eco-tourists? • Young and middle aged

• Educated professionals

• Moderate to high income

• More Free Independent travellers ( FIT)

• Research destination and book independently

• Mainly from Europe, Canada, Australia, America, New Zealand

Ref: Ecolodges, Exploring opportunities for sustainable business, IFC © Srilal Miththapala The size of the eco tourism market? • Difficult to identify • Difficult to quantify • Small component of world tourism market • But certainty rapidly growing ( >20%)

Conventional Eco

• Chose destination first, based on activities or attractions, then accommodation

• Natural environment

• Experiential and learning

• Scenery, nature and wild life,

• Hiking, Biking

• Visiting parks

Ref: Ecolodges, Exploring opportunities for sustainable business, IFC © Srilal Miththapala What do eco-tourists look for? Wild Life -a primary Attraction • Charismatic wild life species ( large mega- fauna) • Rainforests and bird watching • Primates

High quality guiding and accurate interpretation services can distinguish an eco lodge in the market place

Ref: Ecolodges, Exploring opportunities for sustainable business, IFC © Srilal Miththapala Tourist Arrivals – 2009 to 2013 Total 2009 447,890 Total 2010 654,476 46% Total 2011 855,975 30% Total 2012 1,003,300 17% 140,000 Total 2013 711,449 26.1% YOY (August 2013)

120,000

100,000 2013 2012 80,000 2011 60,000

No of of No Tourists 2010

40,000 2009

20,000

0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Based on SLTDA Statistics- Srilal Miththapala 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Sri Lanka ? Emerging profile of travellers

• Experience (w;aoelSï)

• Individualistic (;ksfhka yeisÍug leu;s)

• Explore (.fõYkh)

• Authenticity (wjHdc)

• Nature (fidndoyu)

• Community and Culture (m%cdj" ixialD;sh)

• Virgin forests, royal and sacred cities.

• Cliff top citadels, colonial strongholds and temple caves.

• 8 World Heritage Sites declared and listed by UNESCO. • One of Asia's richest treasure troves of both natural and man-made wonders.

© Srilal Miththapala The world largest mammals… THE ELEPHANT and THE WHALE and LEOPARD and SLOTH BEAR Sri Lanka’s BIG 4? © Srilal Miththapala Hence certainly no shortage of physical attributes as a eco-nature destination… Possibly one of the most unique places on earth.

“There are many countries in the world striving to obtain the green label. It is Sri Lanka that truly deserves to be called a green destination and to my mind, it is one of the best locations in the world for eco-tourism”. © Srilal Miththapala Sri Lanka… positioning

….. ‘Asia’s Most Authentic, Diverse and Compact Island’ ……… ‘wdishdfõ fydou wjHdc" úúO;ajfhka hq;a ixhqla; Èjhsk’

• “ Sri Lanka the ultimate island safari”

• “Sri Lanka the best for big game outside Africa”

• “Sri Lanka’s Big four- The elephant, whale, leopard and sloth bear

• The Sri Lankan elephant as an icon for tourism

© Srilal Miththapala What do eco-tourists look for? Accommodation • Small scale • Personalized • Value for money Budget $ 60 per day Mid Range $ 60-150 per day • Local and traditional Luxury > $ 150 per day • Authenticity • Comfort • Access to primary attractions • Quality of interpretation services

Ref: Ecolodges, Exploring opportunities for sustainable business, IFC © Srilal Miththapala

The Market- Competition Competition

• Who are the other players?

• What products and services do they offer?

• Are they complementary ?

• How different?

• Will it help increase awareness of the area/attraction?

Competition…

• Not all competition is a threat

• Clustering and combining helps promote the

destination

• Differentiated service providers and specialists are

sometimes good

• Helps you to raise the bar

Low End Examples…Ella peripheral service providers

USP ? What is distinctive? What is different to others? What is special? What is the novelty? © Srilal Miththapala

Unique Selling Proposition for a Eco-offering

• Location

• Product design and layout

• Unique attractions

• Service- interpretation

Ellsworth Statler, (father of the modern hotel industry) 1820 circa…..

USP – or create a unique location Vil Uyana , Sigiriya

• Location

• Product design and layout

• Unique attractions

• Service- interpretation

41 © Srilal Miththapala Kumbuk River Eco Lodge Buttala, http://www.kumbukriver.com

Pic: web © Srilal Miththapala USP – A Unique Product Saraii Village – Weerawila www.saraiivillage.com

Pic: web

http://www.rainforest-ecolodge.org/

• Location

• Product design and layout

• Unique attractions

• Service- interpretation

Angie Scott , Award winning photographer of Big Cat Diary, at a presentation at Cinnamon Lake, at the end of their visit to Sri Lanka 9th July 2011

Chitral Jayatilake

Yala= Leopard© Srilal Miththapala USP – unique safaris

Pic: web

48 Unique Attractions • Unique mixed species, bird feeding flocks in the Sinharaja rainforest.

Birds= Sinharaja

Blue Magpie=Sinharaja

Unique Attractions Largest single periodic grouping of wild Asian elephants at any given time at Minneriya National Park Now known worldwide as “The Gathering”- Lonely Planet –Worlds 6th Wild life wonder.

• Location

• Product design and layout

• Unique attractions

• Service- interpretation

Pic: web

55 © Srilal Miththapala High quality guiding and accurate interpretation services can distinguish an eco lodge in the market place

• What are the customer needs and wants?

• What are the destination attributes?

• What have you to offer?

• What are your unique features?

• How different are they from the competition?

• Customization

• Focus

• Environment

• Authenticity

• Health and Safety

• Cleanliness

• What local involvement?

• What benefits? Skills, financial, livelihoods

• What level of participation?

• What damage?

What impact on Environment and Community? Involving villagers in tourism by Hotel Sigiriya at Diayakepilla Village

Trees for life What negative impacts?

What impact on Environment and Community? The commercialization and demise of the Wanniya-laetto

The Veddas – Sri Lanka's indigenous Current Chief Former Vedda Chief Urupna Warige Wanniya Urupana WarigeTissahamy inhabitants, the 'forest- dwellers' © Srilal Miththapala What impact on Environment and Community? The over visitation at Yala National Park

Pic: web

Eco Tourism is not so simple

Once you embark on this journey… • You have to always ‘walk the talk’ • No shortcuts • No ‘green washing

• Environmental • Planet

• Ethical (Social) • People

• Economic • Profit Environment

• What long term effects ?

• Adequate resources?

• What enhancements ?

Social

• How will it affect the community in the long

term

• Effect on local practices

• Effect on culture and traditions

• What support and integration? Economic

• Funding

• Competition

• Changing trends

• Tired out / dated product Product Life cycle

75 © Srilal Miththapala “The greatness of a nation, and it’s moral progress can be judged by the way it’s animals and environment are treated” -- Mahatma Gandhi

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