Sustainable Travel Sri Lanka - September Newsletter

Sustainable Travel Sri Lanka Initiative

-September 2021-

This September, we’re shouting from the rooftops about welcoming “Brands with a Heart” to the by-invitation only Collective. The Sustainable Travel Sri Lanka Initiative is a pioneering platform self-funded by Ayu in the Wild Holidays to promote the passionate approach of Sri Lanka’s luxury travel innovators who support conservation, community and wildlife, and collaborate with Ayu in the Wild Holidays to promote high-value tourism.

Chamintha & Rajindra Jayasinghe - Founders

PLAN A POSITIVE IMPACT HOLIDAY

Brands with a Heart

Each positive impact project we endorse under ‘Brands with a Heart’ is a nod to these #ProudlySriLankan Tourism brands that are committed to invest in the long-term sustainability of the island, the people and the wild.

BACK OF BEYOND - Conservation-Agriculture-Eco Tourism

From treehouse stays with the right touch of luxury in the Cultural Triangle to a stylish camp on the sand dunes of Yala, every detail of Back of Beyond’s portfolio of uber-cool Eco Lodges is defined through an economical, ecological, social and cultural lens. We support Back of Beyond’s epic Nature Conservancy initiative to rewild native forest patches, restore watering holes for wildlife, camera trapping to understand leopard habitats and establish earth-friendly farm plots with neighbouring communities in Sigiriya. It embodies how ecotourism can champion advocacy and create webs of interconnectedness to protect the lands, the people and the wild. Reconnect with wilderness, savour all things hyperlocal and immerse in a different style of luxury at Back of Beyond!

THE GRAND HOTEL - 12R Zero-Waste Journey

While the world grappled with a surge in single-use plastics amidst the pandemic, we applaud how the Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya scaled up its 12R Zero-Waste Journey - Responsible, Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Reclaim, Replace, Refill, Rot, Recycle, Rewards! 100% biodegradable takeaway food packaging with clamshells made from reclaimed and rapidly renewable sugarcane fibres; curry cups from craft paper; PET bottles turned by an award-winning recycler into fabric yarn for the textile industry, and brooms, brushes and scrubs used by the hotel’s housekeeping; Waste-to-Black-Gold organic composting; Low-Food-Mile Menus; the Clean-Plate-Challenge to reduce food waste among staff…just a few steps in the incredible triple bottom line journey underway. The old-world charm of this luxury heritage hotel established in 1819 has never been more sustainably sexy!

When Sri Lanka’s Tourism Cared for its Community

Stories of generosity, despite an 18-month long pandemic, when tourism stood still.

LIVING HERITAGE KOSLANDA

New Member

20 years ago a visionary Sri Lankan conceived a sustainable travel escape to protect a remote patch of Sri Lanka by reviving vernacular architecture and invited the local community to relearn long-forgotten skills in engineering and building. Today, his wife and Co-Founder Lucy Adams empowers the still forgotten community. All women and youth have been sustained despite the Pandemic, helping them build stronger lives, strengthening their household economies and allowing flexible hours for females to thrive in tourism while caring for this stunning eco-luxury stay on an 80 Acre Estate with forest pavillions, stylish villas and a dazzling hilltop infinity pool.

Low Footfall | Luxury in Koslanda | No. of Suites & Villas: 09

Teardrop Hotels which manages the beautiful Lunuganga Country Estate, the uniquely aesthetic former home of renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa, retained all their staff across the country - sustaining the livelihoods of 212 Sri Lankans and their dependent families through the pandemic, to-date.

Low Footfall | Luxury in Bentota | No. of Suites: 09

The staff and management of the agro-eco luxury resort Kalundewa Retreat, dipped their hands into the soil, together with over 180 farming families while tourism slowed down. Local farmers were upskilled with knowledge and the support required for sustainable agricultural techniques while providing food security.

Low Footfall | Luxury in Dambulla | No. of Chalets: 08

Ulagalla Resort by Uga heeded to an urgent need of their local communities where many have been afflicted by chronic kidney disease (CKD) due to hard water conditions. The newly installed Reverse Osmosis water treatment plant set up in February 2021 will provide filtered and safe water for over 200 families.

Low Footfall | Luxury in Anuradhapura | No. of Villas: 25

The estate farm at Santani Wellness Resort was expanded, sustaining the jobs of 40 on the farm while retaining all 60 resort employees throughout the pandemic. Over 40% of the staff are from the local community who have never previously enjoyed livelihood security through formal employment.

Low Footfall | Wellness in Kandy | No. of Chalets: 20

Ahaspokuna Bushwalks Camp is tightly interwoven with the surrounding communities. When small scale cottage industries reliant on tourism lost their single source of income, Eco team – the owners of Ahaspokuna created niche local and international markets - ensuring a steady price and consistent quality for locally produced treacle, jaggery and honey.

Low Footfall Bushwalk Camp in Balangoda | No. of Tented Suites: 03

Whilst Treetops Jungle Lodge remained closed during the pandemic, the owner, Lars Sorenson invited the staff and neighbouring farming community to use the land to sustain themselves by growing cash crops and edible gardens of black pepper, vanilla, cinnamon, herbs and vegetables.

Low Footfall Camping bordering Yala Bushlands | No. of Tents: 03

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