he Olango Birds and Seascape Tour was first introduced commercially in January 1999 and operated on a limited basis until December of that year. During this introductory period, the tour had 33 runs and handled 357 visitors. Of this number, 31% were foreign guests from 17 countries, and 69% were domestic travelers from 11 provinces.

The project benefited 55 families. In 1999, 55% of gross revenues went directly to the community in the form of salaries and profit. Net contributions to the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary consisted of 5% of total sales revenues. These figures attest to the substantial economic incentives and contributions that the project was able to generate for community development and conservation in its first year of start-up operation.

More than 30 international organizations (including PATA, the Ecotourism Society, IUCN, NOAA, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Embassy of Switzerland, Government of Sri Lanka) visited the project.

Several media establishments also featured the ecotour in leading national dailies, magazines and TV programs.

OTHER BEHIND THE SCENES STORIES:

Ecotourism for the People, by the People, of the People
What's unique about the project

Six Steps in the Making of the Olango Birds and Seascape Tour