Climate risks and adverse impacts caused by climate change are responsible for an average of more than $16 billion in losses and damages at the global level according to the World Economic Forum, which is impacting the economic stability of countries and livelihoods of communities. The tourism sector is one of the key economic sectors across the world and exacerbated impacts of climate change on the sector is threatening the economy of countries highly vulnerable to climate change. In Sri Lanka, the tourism sector employs 250,000 people directly and up to 2 million, indirectly and Sri Lanka expects 2.8 million tourist arrivals in 2024 and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and National Adaptation Plan on Climate Change has already considered the tourism sector as a key sector in taking steps to build climate resilience.

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SLYCAN Trust is organizing the event, with the objective of launching multi-actor partnership on climate and disaster risk transfer and finance in the tourism sector, by identifying entry points to strengthen collaboration, joint innovation, and coherence amongst the tourism sector stakeholders and building capacities and technical expertise through collective engagement for  stakeholders.

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This initiative is part of a project implemented by SLYCAN Trust and partners with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

• Introducing and expanding the existing multi-actor partnerships on climate risk management and finance to further key stakeholders of the tourism industry from the public sector, the private sector, (M)SMEs, entrepreneurs, and the finance and insurance industry.
• Identifying entry points to strengthen collaboration, joint innovation, and coherence amongst the tourism sector stakeholders to catalyse support towards pathways of long-term resilience.
• Building capacities and technical expertise through collective engagement for  stakeholders and exchange of information.