Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, Sri Lanka’s premier hospitality brand, has been honoured with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award 2025 in the category of Best Ecosystem & Wildlife Conservation initiative for its groundbreaking Cinnamon Rainforest Restoration Project.
The PATA Gold Awards, now in their 41st year, remain the most prestigious accolades in the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry, celebrating organisations that lead with purpose, innovate with impact, and contribute meaningfully to sustainable tourism development.
“This recognition from PATA affirms that true hospitality is inseparable from environmental responsibility,” said Hishan Singhawansa, CEO of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts. “The Cinnamon Rainforest Restoration Project aligns with our broader ambition to sustain the environment we operate in, restoring ecosystems, empowering communities, and shaping a more conscious way of travel.”
Initiated in 2022, the Cinnamon Rainforest Restoration Project represents a transformative approach to ecosystem rehabilitation. Spanning 59 acres in Suduwelipotha within Sri Lanka’s biodiversity-rich wet zone, the project has evolved from degraded land into a thriving sanctuary for endemic and endangered species.
This project demonstrates the role of the private sector as a catalyst to form a multi-agency partnership to achieve a common conservation goal. Partners of the project includes the Forest Department of Sri Lanka as a government agency that provided the state land for this project, while local NGO ‘Ruk Rekaganno” (the Tree Society) is responsible for all the field implementations. Total project sponsorship has been provided by – Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts in collaboration with John Keells Foundation. In addition to financial assistance, scientific assistance for the project is provided by the ecologists of Cinnamon Nature Trails.
The project’s remarkable transformation is evidenced by its thriving ecosystem that now harbours 251 fauna species, including 54 endemic and 43 nationally threatened species. Since inception, 22,797 native trees have been planted with an exceptional 85-90% survival rate, while 36 new plant species have been recorded including the successful reintroduction of Pini Beraliya (Doona ovalifolia), an endemic tree previously listed as extinct in the wild.
Beyond environmental impact, the project empowers 15 local families through direct employment, and they also play the role of local guardians of the project. Volunteer engagement is one of the strong elements of the project. Volunteerism is aimed at connecting as many as employees of the company as well as attracting outside interest groups/institutions/schools, etc. Due to the success of the project, many institutions are visiting the project site for volunteer activities, such as site clearances and planting. So far, 1,208 volunteers have participated to plant trees and to learn on the forest restoration.
The Cinnamon Rainforest Restoration Project was selected from over 100 entries submitted by 45 organisations across the Asia Pacific region. The independent judging panel, comprising 25 industry leaders, recognised the project’s innovative approach to conservation and its measurable impact on biodiversity restoration.
“The winning initiatives of the PATA Gold Awards are a breath of fresh air for the tourism industry,” noted Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office. “It is energising to see the new approaches and commitment displayed by the awardees in sustainability and social responsibility.”
This award adds to Cinnamon’s growing collection of sustainability accolades, including the ACCA Sustainability Reporting Award for three consecutive years and the Best Project Sustainability Award at the Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards 2024. The recognition reinforces Cinnamon’s position as a leader in responsible tourism, demonstrating that environmental conservation is integral to delivering world-class hospitality experiences.
The project directly supports Cinnamon’s ambitious 2030 sustainability goals, which includes: developing biodiversity conservation plans at every property where Red list species have been identified, increasing forest cover by 10,000 trees and achieving 30% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts will be formally recognised at the PATA Travel Mart 2025 on August 27 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand. The winning initiatives will be showcased in a special presentation and featured in the 2025 PATA Gold Awards publication.
The Cinnamon Rainforest Restoration Project goes beyond traditional conservation efforts. Monthly engagement with local communities, scientific assessments by independent ecologists, and partnerships with organisations ensure the project’s long-term sustainability and scientific rigour. The project has become a model for how hospitality brands can actively contribute to ecosystem restoration while creating meaningful community impact.
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