Sustainable tourism the need

Sri Lanka crossed the one million tourist arrivals mark recently, heightening hopes that the last two months of the year will see this number increase steadily and put the rebound in the sector on a steady footing

This comes amidst reports that Cabinet has approved a pilot project for visa- free entry for nationals of seven countries. The new rules, once in force, will apply to nationals of India, Russia, China, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand and will initially continue till 31 March 2024. The move is aimed at attracting more foreign visitors to the country.

Along with this Cabinet also approved a proposal from Tourism Minister Harin Fernando to ensure easy access to world heritage and historical places for foreign tourists by issuing a single payment package ticket for all such sites and providing facilities to buy the ticket at the airport or through an online system. Also mooted is the issue of Sri Lanka Railways tourist coach tickets online or having a counter at the airport to purchase as a one-time ticket.

The proposal to issue tickets for tourist sites and railways is a good move if it is enforced properly. In most countries, such facilities are in place so that visitors who are in a country for a limited number of days can enjoy their visit without wasting time staying in queues to buy tickets and being inconvenienced due to language barriers, locating ticketing offices etc.

In Sri Lanka’s case there is a lot of scepticism about such projects because the country has been lagging behind in digitalisation. Even projects that are launched with much fanfare stop working properly after a few days and soon it is back to the queues, paperwork etc. which locals are now accustomed to but is discouraging to foreign tourists.

Along with digitalisation, there are some basics the Tourism Ministry and Sri Lanka Tourism has to pay heed to.

One of the biggest complaints that one hears from foreigners who use social media to talk of their experience here is the lack of clean public toilets in public places and this applies to major tourist sites such as Sigiriya, Dambulla, Polonnaruwa or other such places. Some of these are World Heritage Sites and this puts the onus on the country in which such sites are located to maintain high standards. These sites which come under the Central Cultural Fund (CCF) draw thousands of visitors each year, both local and foreign, and generate a steady income. But not enough has been done to improve facilities for visitors with their revenue generated by ticket sales while no meaningful measures have been taken to involve the local population of such areas to give visitors a fulfilling experience.

Most countries, many of which have little to match up to both the natural wonders of this land as well as historical and archaeological sites, do a fabulous job of making whatever they have go a long way by ensuring visitors have a wholesome experience during a visit.

This is what Sri Lanka Tourism too should aim at. One can choose to either look at the monthly figures of how many tourists visited Sri Lanka and sit back with self-satisfaction or make a solid plan to get feedback from foreigners when they leave the country after a visit, pay attention to the shortcomings they point out and take remedial measures. There are enough undergraduates and others engaged in studies in the hospitality trade who can be employed as volunteers to obtain such feedback. So, while Sri Lanka Tourism might be tempted to pat itself on the back looking at the increasing numbers of tourists arriving in the country, it has a bigger role to play so that tourists return home with a pleasant and wholesome experience.