This document discusses sustainability and green practices in the Sri Lankan tourism industry. It identifies some of the key issues, such as balancing infrastructure development with environmental preservation, and increasing pressure from foreign entities. It also summarizes the approaches of several academics to addressing these issues, such as strengthening government and private sector cooperation, and implementing more effective green communication strategies.

1. Sustainability and Greenness as
an issue of Sri Lankan Mangers
in the Tourism Industry
By Evan Pathiratne

2. Tourism industry plays a significant role in the Sri Lankan Economy

3. Industry main focus
 Heritage tourism
 Coastal tourism
 Ecotourism
 MICE (Meeting Incentive Conference and Exhibition)
tourism -comparatively low market

5. The Issues

6. • Preservation Vs Infrastructure development
infrastructure development can lead to negative
environmental consequences.
• How much development, at what cost?

9. • Banerjee, S.B (2003) argues –
– “…..now a corporate discourses on
sustainability produce an elision that
displaces the focus from sustainability to
sustaining the corporation through ‘growth
opportunities’ …......….”
Source : Banerjee, S.B (2003), “Who
Sustains Whose Development? Sustainable
Development and the Reinvention of Nature”, Organization Studies 24(1): 143–
180

11. The Issues
• Increasing pressure from foreign
entities

13. Aggressive marketing campaigns has made tourists rethink their
travel destinations ….

14. • Shiva (1991) argues –
– “…….universalized scientific discourses of the
environment tend to ignore local cultural
differences and environmental relations while
masking neo-colonial modes of development in
which ‘global’ environmental problems create the
moral base for green imperialism…..”
Source : Shiva, V (1991) ‘The violence of the Green Revolution’

15. • Menon (1997) identified
– in response to environmental concern of many
companies as typified by the establishment of
specialist environmental functions……public
relations begins to play a bigger role in a firm’s
marketing communications strategy to allay public
concerns to mollify interest groups and regulatory
agencies
Source: Menon, A. and Menon, A. (1997), “Enviropreneurial marketing strategy: the emergence
of corporate environmentalism as market strategy”, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 61, pp. 51-67.

18. Approaches to Mitigate
the Issues

19. 4. Why not a Corporate Social Responsibility
Lobbying Nexus

20. Complex governance structure within the Sri Lankan context
1. Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA)
2. Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB)
3. Sri Lanka Tourism Convention Bureau (SLTCB)
4. Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM)

21. Why not a Corporate Social Responsibility Lobbying Nexus
Source: ‘Capitalist globalization, corporate social responsibility and social policy’ -Sklair, L and Miller,M (2010)
Strengthen capacity of government, private sectors and NGOs to effectively use
tourism as a tool for sustainable development.

22. 4. A more effective Green Communication
Strategy

23. • Walley and Whitehead (1994) and Shelton
(1994) mentions
– that green strategies can become progressively more unpalatable for
all but the most environmentally committed companies.
• Peattie and Crane(2005) says a successful
green marketing campaign must be ,
 Starting and focusing on the customer and not the firm
 Having a long-run ‘brand building’ perspective
 involves full use of all the company’s resources and not just temporary roles
 innovative
 focus beyond current consumer needs
Sources:
•Peattie, K Crane, A 2005, “Green marketing: legend, myth, farce or prophesy?”, Qualitative Market Research: An
International Journal Vol. 8 No. 4
•Walley, N. and Whitehead, B. (1994), “Its not easy being green”, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 72 No. 3, pp. 46-52.

24. • Hewawasam, B & Abeysekara, N (2010)
identified Sri Lankan consumers based on green
consumption patterns-
• Green Unaware
• Green Incapable
• Anti-Green
• Green Contributor
• Green Rebel
Source :Hewawasam, B & Abeysekara, N (2010) "Offsetting the green guilt or bargaining for cheapest; Discourse of green
consumption of develop and developing world of customers”, University of Kelaniya

25. Thank You !