Location: Ohiya, Sri Lanka

Proposal submitted by Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation

Background information of Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation (SLEF)

Introduction:

Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation (SLEF), the pioneer National Ecotourism Organization in Sri Lanka estbalsihed in 1998. More info please refer to tjr following websites

Web : www.srilankaecotourism.org | www.ecotourssrilanka.com | www.aprec.asia

SLEF’s main International Partner is The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), based in the USA. The TIES has helped a lot by advising the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority to promote Ecotourism in Sri Lanka.

Email : jonbruno@ecotourism.org

web : www.ecotourism.org

facebook : www.facebook.com/ecotravelpage

twitter : twitter.com/ecotravel

linkedin : linkedin.com/company/the-international-ecotourism-society

The oldest and largest ecotourism society in the world founded in 1990 with 15,000+ members in 200+ countries and territories. TIES has 110,000 Facebook followers, 13,000 twitter followers, 7,000 LinkedIn followers, 3,000 instagram followers

Dr. Palitha Gurusinghe, President of Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation and the Chairman of Asia-Pacific Regional Ecotourism Council (APREC) is a Board member of the TIES and the Coordinator of Asia-Pacific Region of the TIES

Focus of SLEF

The primary focus of Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation is the social and economic development in Sri Lanka, through sustianable and Ecotourism. From its inception, SLEF has worked hard to position Sri Lanka as an Ecotourism Hub of the Asia-Pacific Region by introducing and implementing various programs through ecotourism. Poverty allivaiation of rural communities in Sri Lanka through ecotourism is one of the main focuses of the SLEF from its inception. Past 24 years we have been working handing hand with Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) in its diverse tourism projects and programmes initiated from time to time.

The SLEF is is committed for:

• Initiate Sustainable and viable tourism projects in Sri Lanka in colloboration with SLTDA, Ministry of Environemnt, International Donor Agencies and other like-minded organizations and to explore avenues to attract Forerign Direct Investments (FDI) to Sri Lanka through viable and novel tourism projects

• Assure economic benefits and improve the living standards of the rural communities in Sri Lanka through ecotourism

• Preserve the age old cultural heritage and values of Sri Lanka society through the development of ecotourism

• Conservation of biodiversity, environment and ecotourism hotspots of Sri Lanka through good practices

• Dissemination of information on sustainable development and ecotourism among the visiting tourists and the general public of Sri Lanka

Backgrond of the proposed project; overview of the location

Ohiya Railway Station is located in the Colombo-Badulla main Railway line. It is the exit point for the domestic and international tourists who are visiting the Horton Plains National Park, the largest national parks in Sri Lanka located in the highest point of Sri lanka by train.

Horton Plains National Park is one of the most fascinating National Parks of Sri Lanka, located in the Nuwara Eliya District. Horton Plain, its surroundings forests and the adjoining Peak Wilderness, constitute Sri Lanka's most important catchments areas of almost all major rivers in the island. The plains are also of outstanding scenic beauty and environmental conservation importance, containing most of the habitats with endemic plants and animals, representing of the country's wet and montane zones. The western slopes sup¬port the most extensive area of montane cloud forests surviving in the country. Horton Plains National Park lies about 32 km south of Nuwara Eliya in the Central High¬lands of Central Province. The Horton Plains can be reached by any of these roads such as via Nuwara Eliya, also, Ambewela and Pattipola (32 km), Via Haputale or Welimada, Boralanda, Ohiya (38 km), Nuwara Eliya, Hakgala, Rendapola, Ambewela, Pattipola (38 km), Adventurous visitors can trek into the park along the Thalawakele- Agarapatana-Diyagama and the Belihyloya-Nagarak trails. The access to Horton Plains from Haputale or Welimada, Boralanda, Ohiya (38 km) by car/bus or train a traveler could experience the most fascinating and breadth-taking panoramic sceneries up to the Horton Plains.

Many domestic and international tourists take the train from different railway stations in Sri Lanka to Ohiya. The tourists like to travel by train and visit the Horton Plains National Park on trekking, because the travel by train in the hills and trekking in the mountainous areasare a very enjoyable life time experience.

The Project Proposal developed by SLEF to develop Ohiya Raiway Station complex to promote sustainable tourism in Sri Lanka located in the Nuwara Eliya District, the highest point of Sri Lanka with an elevation over 8000 FT above sea level could be a very facinating and viable project. Sri Lanka Tourism is already exploring the possibility of developing a cable car project linking Nanuoya and Nuwara Eliya and the Proposed Ohiya Project also could be operated handing hand with the cable car project.

The proposed Railway Ecolodge Complex, to be structured using old wooden railway carriages currently idling at the Ratmalana Railway Workshop and these compatments could be be positioned at the lands located at the Ohiya Railaway Staion primises. These carriages have to be repaired, modified and modernized to be used as accommodation/sleeping cabins, recreation and Restaurant units. The SLEF has the technical know how to convert the old railway carriages in to good accommodation and recreation units and marketing tho project for the domestic and international tourists.

We also understand that some of the historical railwy carraiges and compartments exclusively developed by the Railway Department in the year 1981for the use of the Queen Elezebeth and for her entourage in her 2nd visit to Sri Lanka also lying idle at the Ratmalana Railway workshop. The length of this special compartment is 40 ft. In length with all modern aminities in cluding airconditioning. In case the proposed Ohiya Railway Project comes to a reality this historical Royal Compartment also could be placed at the project site and converted to a mini-Museum.to display the centuries old railway communication equipments still could be seen at the Ohiya Station (Please see the photograps of these oled railwy communication instruments)

Main Objectives of the Project

• To offer life-time experince to the domestic and international tourists in an ecolodge ambience

• Alliviation poverty among the railway community in the area and assure alternative income for them through tourism

• Promote nature, eco friendly thoruism in the area through community participation

• Creat iincome generating activities, and assure econmic and social benefits to the communities in the area through tourism

Torusim infrastructure facilities to be developed through the project

• An Ecolodge Complex with accommodation cabins using the old railway carrages

• Recreation Centre (similar to a lobby), Visitor Information Centre of the area

• Restaurant facilities

• Sales Outlet comprising such as spices, fruits, vegitables, handicfats grown and produced by the railway community in the area (by the Community Based Ecotourism Enterprises (CBEs)

• Visitor Information Centre of the area

How this project facilitates tourism

• Those domestic and foreign visitors to the Horton Plains National Park accessing via Ohiya Railway Station, hardly come across any suitable accommodation, restaurant or comfort facilities in the vicinity. If there’s any transits accommodation and restaurant facilities available, the tourist would definitely stay one or two nights or longer in the locality enjoying the fascinating sceneries, nature and engaged in nature activities in the area.

How to assure benefits for the Railway Community

• The SLEF is planning to develop and operate the project ensuring economic and social benefits to the railway communities living around Ohiya station and all the way to stations up to Badulla. The SLEF is planning to set up a Community Based Ecotourism Enterprises (CBE) based in Ohiya Railway Station, comprising railway workers from the surrounding areas such as pattipola, Ambewela, Idalgashinna etc. The income generated through the accommodation units, restaurant, community owned sales out lets, tourism programms and recreation activites to be channeled to the fund to be managed by the Railways Department, SLTDA and CBEs. (Community Based Railway Ecotourism Enterprises. This could be the first ever model of cooperative style ecotourism project in the hill country of Sri Lanka to be initiated.

Other activities proposed under the project to motivate the community to sell agricultural and diary products in the area through the proposed sales out let, such as;

• Tea

• Vegetable

• Fruits

• Milk and diary/farming/livestocks products

• Handicrafts

This could be a very profitable business for the community as the visitors would purchase “Take Home Bags” filled with the community home grown products in the areas

and through the proposed project it could support the community to start their own organic farming complexes close to their railway stations. These activites could be an alternative income earner and it would enhance the asethatic beauty of the railway stations. Also, the Organic fruits and vegetables could be served at the proposed restaurants at the at the Ohiya station.

In addition to the above the SLEF is planning to set up

• An Awareness and Visitor Information Centre for the domestic and international tourists to provide information and Study Centre to educate youth, the community in the area on the importance of conserving the biodiversity in the surrounding areas including the Horton Plains National Park

• Through the Study Centre the SLEF is planning to introduce Training Programms to the local youth, selected from the Railway Community in the surrounding areas to be trained as eco-guides and interpreters to conduct nature, adventure and eco tours for the domestic and international tourists. This will create a lot of Income Generating Activities (IGA) for the local youth representing the railway community in the area.

• Training on hospitality skills for the local community

What sort of tourism activities could perform through the proposed Training Centre?

Some of them are:

• Avitoruism (bird watching)

• Camping

• Walking through nature Trails, water falls, tea gardens

• Visiting colonial estate bungalows

• Hiking

• Nature photography

• Cycling

• Wildlife watching at the Horton Plains National Park

• Cross-Cultural events

• Observation/study of flora and fauna in the surroundings, wildlife park

• Demonstration on rural farming, animal husbandry Agro Tourism/Geo Tourism

Direct benefits for the environemntal and biodiversity conservation through community participation

• Forest conservation (stop illigal logging)

• Wildlife conservation (stop poaching)

Suggested Operation and Management plan of the project

’Management Comittee’ to be establsihed representing SLTDA, SLEF, Raiways Department, CBE. The Committes could be establish representing the following organizations.

• Ministyry of Tourism

• Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority

• Railway Department

• Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation

• Forest Depatment

• Depatment of Wildlife

• Community Based Ecotourism Enterprises of the Railway Community based in Ohiya (to be established before the project comes of the ground)

Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation could take responsibility in overall management of the project in consultation with the ’Management Committee’ on;

• Locating the investors for the project

• Supervising of Finnace and Accounting

• Training of youth from the area

• Marketing and promotions of the project throgh websites and other social media

• Establishment of Railway Community Based Ecotourism Enterprise (CBE) based in Ohiya

Strenbth of SLEF in promoting CBTs in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation (SLEF) is the only ecotourism organization in Sri Lanka working with communities in tourism generating areas in Sri Lanka. For the last 24 (twenty four) years the SLEF has supported many national tourism and Community Based Tourism organizations in many parts of Sri Lanka in establshing and implementing of community initiated tourism projects. At present the CBTs promoted by SLEF are performing well in tourism businesses. The SLEF has initiated a Community Based Ecotourism Networks to share expereince on CBTs in the country. SLEF also was the Corrdinator for the Community Based Tourism Advisory Panel appointed by the Hon. Minister of Tourism, Sri Lanka in 2007. SLEF is also supported by many regional and international sustainable tourism assocaitons in generating business to the Sri Lanka Tourism businesses

Contact person; Dr. Palitha Gurusinghe, President, SLEF Mobile; 0777 631334