First ecotourism confab

L. S. Ananda Weddarachchi

The Asia-Pacific Regional Ecotourism Conference (APREC) 2009 will be held at the Galle Face Hotel from May 7 to 9.

Eminent ecotourism resource persons from the region are expected to participate in the conference.

The chairperson, Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation, Palitha Gurusingha said that this will be the firstever regional conference to be held in Sri Lanka on sustainable tourism which will go down in the annals of the tourism history of Sri Lanka.

Eco Tourism can prevent the urban drift and provide an alternative source of income. Ecotourism could act as a catalyst to mitigate the community set backs and to assure economic justification to the communities living around protected and natural areas and cultural sites in the Asia Pacific Region, he said.

The conference is organised by the Sri Lanka Eco Tourism Foundation (SLEF) which celebrates its 11th anniversary.