AYUBOWAN May all living-beings live long
RESPONSIBLE PRODUCT
INNOVATION FOR TOMORROW’S
TRAVELLERProfessor Sarath Wimalabandara Kotagama
Professor Environment ScienceUniversity of Colombo
we are in the Anthropocene
05/01/23 3
Urbanisation grew more than tenfold in the past century; almost half of the people
live in cities and megacities
Industrial output increased 40 times during the past century; energy use
16 times
Almost 50 % of the land surface has been transformed by human
action
Water use increased 9 fold during the past century to 800 m3 per capita; 65 % for irrigation, 25 %
industry, ~10 % households
Man the EroderAccording to Wilkinson (Geology) March 2005
Sedimentary rock formation over 500 million years corresponds to an erosion rate of 24
meters per million years.
.
At current rate anthropogenic soil erosion would fill the Grand
Canyon in 50 years.
According to Wilkinson (Geology) March 2005
Man-caused erosion (crop tillage, land conversion for grazing and construction): 15 times natural
erosion
According to Wilkinson (Geology) March 2005
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
2000
From: Steffen et al. In press 2004
Atmos CO2 conc
Domesticated landLoss of trop forest, woodland
Coastal shrimp farmsFully exploited fisheries
Climate disastersAv surface temp (NH)
Atmos ozone loss
Atmos CH4 concAtmos N2O conc
Coastal N2 flux
Global biodiversity
Changes in environmental indicators, 1750 - 2000
We are spending Earth’s natural capital, putting such strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted.
The situation today…. 2014
Almost a billion go hungry every day
Green house gas emission continues to rise….
Living Planet Index 2014
WE LIVE IN AN ARTIFICIAL CHEMICAL WORLD
More than 30,000 chemicals are around today, making our lives
?
Emerging Infectious DiseasesEmerging Infectious Diseases 30 DISEASES “NEW” TO MEDICINE SINCE 1976
HIV/AIDS Ebola
Legionnaires’ E. coli O157:H7
SARS Antibiotic-Resistant Agents
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
Lyme Disease Nipah Virus
Vibrio cholerae O139 Arenaviruses
RESURGENT & REDISTRIBUTING
Malaria, Dengue Fever, West Nile Virus, Cholera
VECTORSVECTORSMosquitoesMosquitoesTicksTicksRodentsRodentsBatsBatsTsetse FliesTsetse FliesFleasFleasLiceLiceSnailsSnailsAlgaeAlgae
“Uncertinity”
Extreme Weather
Global conflicts…2015
In 2014, international tourist travel reached an all-time high. Travel for holidays, recreation and other forms of leisure
account for just over half of all international tourists (52 percent or 568 million), followed by travel for other reasons, such as visiting friends and relatives, religious reasons and pilgrimage, and health 3 treatment (27 percent).
Some 14 percent of international tourists reported travelling for business and professional purposes;
Despite all these…….
What makes this happen?.
Easy access to …
Internet information access…
Easy reservations..even online
Air travel……
The new travelers….
TRAVELER OF TOMMORROW ?• The modern tourist has a spirit of adventure that,
unless regulated by law, could be hazardous to the individual tourist and to the public. This spirit has resulted in demand for services and products which, to be provided or satisfied by the tourism industry are soiling the images of the industry and the host destinations most visited by tourists.
• With the ever visible evidence of the ‘reaction’ of the environment to this human-inflected toll, concerted efforts are needed to plan activities such as tourism sustainability Jerry Kolo , 2014
ATHITHI DEVO BHAVA (sanskrit)
“The guest is equivalent to God”
CRITERIA FOR THE TOURISTIC PRODUCT INNOVATION FROM NATURE
ORIGINAL OFFERINGS…
Grandeur / diversity of landscape (mountains, bodies of water
High level of biological diversity……
HIGHEST BIODIVERSITY PER UNIT AREA ( /10,000 sq Km )
Highest in Amphibians, Mammals, Reptiles and Flowering Plants
Presence of BIG animal species….
Easily spotted wildlife
Major coastal areas - corals
COUNTRY OF ENDEMICS
Amphibia - 70 % out of 116 species
Reptiles – 55 % out of 173 species
Land Crabs – 99% out of 51 species
Birds 5% (33) out of 389 species
Flowering plants 35 % out 1300 species
Land Snails 90% out of 345 species
LINKED TO OUR CULTURE
Interesting forms of vegetation - tropical ecosystems
“pristine quality” of the ecosystems
Possibilities for aquatic indulgence
Natural sports possibilities
Rafting, diving, climbing
Archaeological sites
CLIMATEPleasant, diverse
Additional criteria….
Accessibility
Proximity to an international airport and/or a tourist centre
Duration and comfort of travel there ( runway, state of roads) are relative to attraction
Bed and board
On-hand or possible access to pleasant, hygienic, acceptable lodgings
Offer tasty, hygienically prepared meals
BASIC FRAME WORK
Tourists’ personal safety (protection from crime)
Presence of basic medical care
THE SMILING PEOPLE…
ECOTURISM ASSETS
Products must be converted as INTERPRETIVE MATERIAL
……is an educational activity that aims to reveal meanings about our cultural and natural resources.
…..is an informational and inspirational process
Ecotourism products…
They must follow the 15 principles
(Tilden, Beck & Cable)
Relate to life experience
To spark an interest, interpreters must relate the subject to the lives of visitors.
Revelations based on information
The purpose of interpretation goes beyond providing information to reveal deeper meaning and truth.
Interpretation is an art
The interpretive presentation-as awork of art- should be designed as a story that informs, entertains, and enlightens.
Interpretation is provocative
The purpose of the interpretive story is to inspire and to provoke people to broaden their horizons.
Interpretation is holistic
Interpretation should present a complete theme or thesis and address the whole person.
Interpretation is context specific
Interpretation for children, teenagers, and seniors – when these comprise uniform groups – should follow fundamentally different approaches.
Interpretation is alive, enjoyable and meaningful.
Every place has a history. Interpreters can bring the past alive to make the present more enjoyable and the future more meaningful.
Technology with foresight and care.
High technology can reveal the world in exciting new ways. However, incorporating this technology into the interpretive program must be done with foresight and care.
Quality and Quantity of information
Interpreters must concern themselves with the quantity and quality (selection and accuracy) of information presented. Focused, well-researched interpretation will be more powerful than a longer discourse.
Use communication techniques
Before applying the arts in interpretation, the interpreter must be familiar with basic communication techniques. Quality interpretation depends on the interpreter’s knowledge and skills, which should be developed continually.
Write what readers like to know
Interpretive writing should address what readers would like to know, with the authority of wisdom and the humility and care that comes with it.
Should attract support
The overall interpretive program must be capable of attracting support –financial, volunteer, political, administrative-whatever support is needed for the program to flourish.
Should motivate needs
Interpretation should instill in people the ability, and the desire, to sense the beauty in their surroundings-to provide spiritual upliftment and to encourage resource preservation.
Optimize experience
Interpreters can promote optimal experiences through intentional and thoughtful program and facility design.
Arouse passionPassion is the essential ingredient for powerful
and effective interpretation-passion for the resource and for those people who come to be inspired by the same.
Interpretive Equation
(Kr + Ka) + AT = IO
Kr – Knowledge of the resource.Ka – Knowledge of the audience.
AT – Appropriate Technology.IO – Interpretive Opportunities
Thus as the PRODUCT CHANGES we have to be able to move away from GUIDING TO INTERPRITING,
and have INTERPRETORS
MUST BE INCLUSIVE OF THE PEOPLE
• Tourism despite its saying has OFTEN excluded the PEOPLE.
• The future is inclusion, and this becomes a MAJOR PART of RESPONSIBLE TOURISM
• The emergence of ECOTOURISM is evidence for the new BREED that philosophies the INCLUSION of PEOPLE as PARTNERS and not just RECEPIENTS OF BENEFITS.
We have to change the SINGLE SEASON to “365 day product”
• Presently Our effort has been for the so called season from October to April
• April to October was the “lay – off”.• The east provided some opportunities in the
past, which has opened now.• Yet the other products – culture and
Biodiversity is around all year• Thus what was it that restrained us in the past
?
TACKLE THE LEAKAGE
• Sri Lanka tourism has a VERY HIGH LEAKAGE• PRODUCTS can change this substantially• Infra structure• Tour iternary• Food, etc
WITH THE SUSTAINABILITY MODELS IN TOURISM THIS
BECOMES A COMPONENT THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED IN THE
“GREEN” TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
THE CHALLENGES ARE TO BE FACED FOR THE FUTURE
FLOODS
DROUGHT
Rainfall – Variability
increasing in most parts,
Wet Zone
Effect on Vegetation- 1
Tourism Policy ChangeCarbon Free Sri Lanka
Still born……….
(Theruvan Saranai)