Sri Lanka resort receives sustainability award from Skal

For twelve consecutive years, the Skal International “Sustainable Development in Tourism” Awards have been presented during the Opening Ceremony of its annual World Congress. Skal is currently holding its 74th World Congress aboard the Carnival Glory, the first time this yearly event has taken place on a cruise ship. This year, the Heritance Kandalama Hotel in Sri Lanka won the Diversey Special Recognition Award.

World-renowned architect, Deshamanya Geoffrey Bawa, did the conceptual design of Heritance Kandalama to exactly fit the building to the land profile. Undisturbed land, water streams, flora and fauna are now glittering with the lush green of the area.

The Heritance Kandalama resort consists of 152 rooms and has been in operation since June 24, 1994. The building has optimized the usage of natural light and ventilation, and natural landscaping is used to avoid soil erosion. The resort does not interact with the ancient irrigation tank, and waste water is recycled or reused, while fresh water use is minimized. Solid waste that is generated is separated at the source and converted to a resource ensuring no dumping.

The project employs nearly 45% of its staff within a 20-kilometer radius, with the number of full-time employees presently at 406. The resort has educated approximately 1.85 million students, customers, and other stakeholders who have visited the resort’s unique eco-park on sustainable development. The Heritance Kandalama practices a triple bottom line approach, reporting under GRI level B and NGRS of Sri Lanka.

Ninety-five percent of perishable items and 100 percent of fuel wood for the gasification unit are purchased from the locality. The resort calculated its carbon footprint and was disclosed in the year 2011. The resort has bought the adjacent forest extent of 193 acres to be kept as a carbon sink and a natural private sanctuary. The hotel has been certified on many global standards like, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, ISO 50001, Earth Check, Five Star Rating, and also is the highest-awarded institution in Sri Lanka. OHSMS has now prioritized and will be certified under OHSAS 18001 in the first quarter of 2014 which will further enhance sustainable and responsible tourism.

Skal is a member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) .