Wildlife and Nature-based purpose-driven travel to play a pivotal role in Tourism Promotions in the UK -2025

Sri Lanka Tourism successfully promoted its renewed focus on purpose-driven travel through major event held in the United Kingdom, emphasizing the island’s rich biodiversity and unique nature-based tourism experiences. The initiative was aimed at positioning Sri Lanka as a premier wildlife and nature tourism destination among UK travelers and trade.

The Global Bird Fair, held in July in Rutland-UK, brought together conservationists, wildlife enthusiasts, global travel influencers, travel outlets, and segment-specific travel professionals during the 03-day event. Sri Lanka’s presence was marked by vibrant exhibits highlighting its rich birdlife and diverse ecosystems, from rainforest habitats to coastal wetlands, avifauna, and the species and territorial diversity.

The newly appointed High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the UK Nimal Senadheera, declared open the Sri Lanka stand at the Global Bird Fair 2025. Ten Sri Lankan DMCs specialising in wildlife and nature-based tourism represented the travel fair this year. The High Commissioner of UK and the Deputy Director Marketing of SLTPB Sarangi Thilakasena, conducted discussions with the travel trade representatives and the wildlife professionals attended the event. Sri Lanka stand received high level of attention from the visitors to the fair, they expressed much enthusiasm for Sri Lanka’s natural life and wildlife attractions.

The segment specific experts promoted the tour packages and which included educational tours, research tours and professional wildlife exploration tours that were unique to this segment. An experienced Naturalist and Wildlife specialist Chandika Jayarathne conducted a presentation on ‘How Tourism Sustains Sri Lanka’s Natural Heritage’ to a wider-audience at the show. The presentation aimed to highlighted the sustainable travel initiatives and conservation efforts Sri Lanka has implemented in preserving natural habitat while promoting the wildlife assets to the world. The presentation revealed that over 50% of tourist visiting Sri Lanka are now wildlife experiences which is a 30% increase from year 2018 pre-covid stats. Further the revenue generated from wildlife tourism has exceeded Rs.3.5 billion according to the Dept of Wildlife stats, showing the potential of strong value-driven growth in this segment. Sri Lanka’s home-grown model of fostering community-based tourism and conservation was elaborated and well received by all audience present to the session.

Sri Lanka Tourism launched a series of Mini-wildlife guides at the Global Bird Fair including Mammals of Sri Lanka, Dry-land Birds of Sri Lanka, Wet-land Birds of Sri Lanka and Butterflies of Sri Lanka. The promotional materials were developed by the contribution of veteran wildlife and nature tourism expert Gehan De Silva Wijerathne. The audience at the show found these mini-guides which quite informative and much useful for obtaining information on the subject.

Sri Lanka also entered into contracts with key media houses like BBC wildlife and Netflix to produce wildlife promotional documentaries in the upcoming months. Several Media FAM Tours had been finalized during the show involving key birdwatching magazines, wildlife and Nature Magazines and Adventure travel bloggers.

Sri Lanka's wildlife and nature tourism segment continues to grow, driven by increasing global interest in eco-friendly travel and experiential tourism. The country's diverse ecosystems, from lush rainforests to coastal wetlands, offer a haven for a wide range of wildlife, including elephants, leopards, and marine species that are of interest to the Wildlife and nature travelers around the world.

In the future, Sri Lanka Tourism is focused on expanding its wildlife and nature tourism offerings through strategic partnerships, infrastructure development, Conservational initiatives and community engagement. By promoting responsible tourism practices and supporting conservation initiatives, Sri Lanka aims to position itself as a leading destination for sustainable wildlife experiences in Asia raising its profile on the global tourism stage.

The wildlife and nature tourists are a niche segment, they are high spenders with longer duration of stay than a normal tourist. An average nature tourist spends more than 6000 GBP for a tour with over 15-20 days stay minimum. More than 78% British travellers vising Sri Lanka will experience some form of wildlife and nature encounters during their stay in the country. This highlights the need to promote this segment extensively to the British travelers who have a special flair for nature and wildlife related travel experiences.

The Global Bird Fair 2025 successfully reinforced Sri Lanka’s positioning in the UK market as a destination of authenticity, biodiversity, and immersive natural experiences.