Name: Regenerative Tourism
Start: 2026-02-18T18:30:00+00:00
End: 2026-02-18T20:30:00+00:00
Location: Sri Lanka High Commission

Beyond sustainability: explore regenerative tourism that restores places, empowers people and leaves destinations better.
About this Event

Regenerative Tourism is vital for Sri Lanka. The country’s economy, communities and natural heritage are closely tied to tourism, yet increasingly under strain. As a global biodiversity hotspot and climate-vulnerable island, Sri Lanka faces ecosystem degradation, human-wildlife conflict and costal erosion driven by both mass tourism and climate change. Regenerative Tourism helps restore ecosystems, protect wildlife and strengthen natural climate defences such as mangroves and reefs. It also supports community-led livelihoods, keeps tourism income within local economies and preserves living cultural traditions rather than commodifying them.

The Friends of Sri Lanka Association has invited His Excellency, Mr Nimal Senadheera, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom to offer his reflections, setting the context for the discussion. As Sri Lanka emerges from recent economic and social challenges, regenerative tourism is increasingly seen as a pathway to a more resilient, inclusive and long-term tourism model; one that prioritises value over volume and ensures tourism actively improves the well-being of people, culture and nature for future generations.

Our main guest speaker is Dr Ashika Kalubadanage, a British-based academic and the Course Director of the MSc in Tourism and Hospitality at Canterbury Christ Church University. Dr Kalubadanage combines both professional expertise and her personal connection to Sri Lanka. In 2025, Ashika contributed to The Good Tourism blog, advocating for tourism that goes beyond sustainability to actively restore and celebrate local cultural practises, heritage and community life. Her work emphasises the potential for tourism to revive traditions, empower communities and experience authentic island culture.

Ashika will highlight how regenerative hospitality in Sri Lanka revitalises traditional practices, from community cooking to cultural performances, making these visible and meaningful again through tourism. Ashika moves the debate from sustainability and do no harm to enhancement and how do we reinvigorate and enrich heritage that has faded from public view, thereby fostering pride and economic opportunity for host communities.