Adventure- Culture- Eco-Tourism Development in the Sinharaja Tropical Rainforest: A Case Study Based on the Deniyaya Entrance

Sri Lanka is undoubtedly one of the best tourist destinations in the world. Being one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, Sri Lanka has a significant advantage in promoting alternative tourism. Therefore, it is necessary to plan alternative tourism strategies to reveal a more suitable development path that reduces harmful effects and increases positive effects. This study aims at ACE Tourism development based on the Sinharaja Deniyaya entrance. A qualitative methodology follows the case study approach, and this study adopted an inductive approach. According to the interview process, it located nine respondents for data collection. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews using purposive and snowball sampling techniques with nine respondents as the sample. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the collected data. According to the findings, we could identify potential recreation opportunities and market associations under the ACE category. The findings draw attention to identifying community readiness by going through the categories of attitudes, capacity, and commitment, and under that, they have a positive readiness to deliver potential cultural activities. The study findings have practical implications for the tourism industry and local authorities and are crucial to developing ACE Tourism at Sinharaja based on the Deniyaya entrance. Furthermore, this study adds new knowledge to the existing literature. Greater focus on policy, planning, and the responsible participation of stakeholders is essential to establishing an enabling environment for the successful development of ACE tourism.