Promoting Sri Lanka as a wildlife destination

A new multi-lingual photographic guide to common animals and plants of the dry lowlands of Sri Lanka will help tourists from all over the world understand and appreciate the beauty of the country’s rich and diverse natural heritage, according to an official statement from the promoters.

The full color, 110-page guidebook, titled “Wildlife of the Dry Lowlands,” was written and photographed by Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, a well-known wildlife writer and photojournalist.

The Tourism Cluster (TTC), a private sector strategy group within Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, endorsed the publication. This book is only one of the Tourism Cluster’s many initiatives in recent years to make the island competitive in the global market place – by broadening and upgrading the island’s appeal beyond its tropical beaches to feature its parks, wildlife and cultural treasures, TTC said. The book was launched last week at the office of The Competitiveness Program (TCP) at a ceremony that included representatives of The Tourism Cluster, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Department of Forests, Sri Lanka Tourist Board, Sri Lanka Hoteliers Association, and TCP, which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The book was published with financial assistance from TCP, which purchased a special edition of 1000 copies for distribution through The Tourism Cluster to agencies that train wildlife guides in Sri Lanka.

“Sri Lanka has long been a hidden treasure for lovers of wild flora and fauna,” said John Varley, Chief of Party for TCP. “This beautiful new publication will introduce lovers of nature from Sri Lanka and all over the world to the pristine beauty and exotic wildlife of the island’s dry lowlands.”