Top African safari operator keen on investing in SL

• andBeyond officials in town to meet with SLTDA
• Investments likely within next two years 

Luxury African safari operator andBeyond is likely to make some large-scale investments in Sri Lanka in the next two years, giving new impetus to the island nation’s wildlife tourism, Mirror Business learns. 

Tourism sources said andBeyond Director for South Asia Toby Sinclair and Managing Director for South Asian region Shail Gupta met with Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Kavan Ratnayake in Colombo this week to discuss possible investment opportunities.

andBeyond, which has extensive interests throughout Africa and South America entered India, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka in 2006, extending its touring expertise.  However, up to now, the company has not made any significant investment in Sri Lanka by way of setting up its own safari camps or lodges.

According to andBeyond official website the company was “established alongside rising international demand for ecotourism and wildlife experiences, and in the belief that, through business enterprise, wildlife conservation could be placed on a sustainable economic footing.” 

Sri Lanka’s wildlife tourism currently is in a pathetic state due to the scant regard of safari operators and lodge owners and even the tourists towards the flora and fauna of the country’s wildlife sanctuaries open for tourism. According to local tourism sector stakeholder, the entry of international players like andBeyond, whose business model revolves around sustainable tourism, will be a boon to the local tourism landscape, setting up new benchmarks.