Cyclone ditwah devastates sri lanka’s tourism hub, highlighting climate vulnerability of mountain ecosystems

Sri Lanka’s picturesque Central Highlands are reeling from the destruction left by Cyclone Ditwah, which brought landslides, flash floods, and infrastructure damage that have crippled the region’s vital nature tourism industry during peak season. The mountainous region, renowned for its cloud forests, cascading waterfalls, and UNESCO World Heritage sites including Knuckles Conservation Forest and Horton Plains National Park, typically draws thousands of international visitors between December and March.

The cyclone’s impact has been particularly severe in popular destinations like Ella, where hotels and homestays face mass cancellations as access roads remain damaged and landslide risks persist. Even the iconic Adam’s Peak pilgrimage trail, part of the UNESCO-listed Peak Wilderness, has been affected by landslides, disrupting both religious tourism and hiking activities that form the economic backbone of local communities.

“For many small operators, the peak tourist season supports livelihoods for an entire year,” explains Mithila Bandara of the Hill Country Tourism Bureau, highlighting how the timing of this disaster compounds its economic impact. Local families who depend on tourism income are experiencing a devastating double blow—direct property damage from landslides combined with the loss of their primary income source during what should be their most profitable months.

The crisis underscores growing concerns about the resilience of Sri Lanka’s mountain ecosystems and tourism infrastructure in the face of increasingly intense weather events linked to climate change, raising urgent questions about how nature-dependent communities can adapt to a more volatile climate future.