Exploring the meaning of tourism in a war scarred, unequal world

Sri Lanka, a country that has suffered immense economic and human toll due to abominations in the past such as the ethnically charged riots, separatism and violent armed conflict can posit its now peaceful ambience by encouraging both local and foreign travel

By Surya Vishwa 

Last week this page looked at a tourism model that bridges community welfare with the overarching concept of healing in a formerly war scarred location; in the north of Jaffna in Allaipiddy initiated by an eminent professor of psychiatry Daya Somasundaram who had lived in Sri Lanka when the nation faced a three-decade-long ethnic conflict (https://www.ft.lk/harmony_page/Thapovanam-in-Allaipiddy-Jaffna-aspiring-to-be-a-model-for-community-centric-retreat-base/10523-766742).

A fortnight ago we featured the spiritual and cultural significance of the Taxila – Gandhara Buddhist heritage within a framework of diplomacy (https://www.ft.lk/harmony_page/Paying-homage-to-the-living-Buddhist-legacy-of-Taxila/10523-766455).

Throughout our coverages we have looked at various intangible cultural heritage based often underestimated routes at harmonising our lives such traditional knowledge, traditional medicine, ancient and modern music linked with comparative spirituality, knowledge and innovation exchange especially for protection of mother earth that come with linking these with tourism. 

The world does not lack innovation and the scope for establishing permanent peace in our lands; what it lacks is for humanity to move away from over-cementing our development and enabling the scrutiny of human needs and challenges from a holistic point of view.

Tourism signifies destinations and vacations. Within these two qualitative definitions the scope for inter-country tourism is at times under-estimated. Countries, especially those within South Asia have sharply polarised earning capacity when divided between its civilians with some groups, often a smaller percentage holding the maximum quota of economic resources. In unrest driven global societies often ridden with ethnic or race based conflicts, one of the models of encouraging economic wellbeing and tying it up with reducing prejudice and pre-conceived notions about communities, is to formulate peacebuilding models within nations to encourage traveling between districts and territories.

In researching for this article, this writer interviewed 10 central province based adults ranging from vocations such as teaching, banking, administration and arts belonging to Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim ethnicity. It was interesting to note that there were some central province residents (within the age group of 60 to 80 years), who although residing closer to the North-East when compared to Colombo, had not travelled to areas such as Vavuniya, Jaffna and Batticaloa. These persons also did not have friends of differing ethnicities (of fellow citizens) and no acquaintances in these regions. 

Equalising the divide

In such a backdrop one of the routes of equalising this divide is to encourage travel within countries. Sri Lanka, a country that has suffered immense economic and human toll due to abominations in the past such as the ethnically charged riots, separatism and violent armed conflict can posit its now peaceful ambience by encouraging both local and foreign travel. With the understanding that the absence of armed violence does not necessarily denote sustainable peace, countries such as Sri Lanka should focus on all of its people; their resilience, diversity, spiritual and cultural heritage, to develop a poverty alleviating model based on tourism that is not ad-hoc. 

Home tourism is now popular in Sri Lanka. However it is a fragmented notion practiced by some who can afford it while others who cannot but have strong potential yet needing much economic assistance have no means of being uplifted towards this goal as there is no national vision for this. Sri Lanka thus needs to look at its poverty alleviating schemes, its banking lending systems and emphasise home renovation and construction to encourage the surfacing out of poverty through tourism. Lending for clean sanitary facilities and home renovation for home tourism for rural communities will be a major catalyst in encouraging both local and foreign tourists. 

If we once again revert to the significance of having a tourism day, we can understand that the date was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO statutes in 1970, creating the pathway for the establishment of the organisation and initiate the world tourism day in 1980. 

Having a dedicated day for tourism thus facilitated global recognition of tourism as a key sector for solving many of the problems of humanity. 

Exploring local tourism

Participating in World Tourism Day can include exploring local tourism that encourages unity within nations by paying attention to historic landmarks, museums, or cultural sites which will often point to the inter-connected nature of people and nations. 

A sad fact is that tourism is connected to pollution in many ways and for the high levels of plastic refuse in the seas which impact human health in dire ways. Sustainable tourism should not be a mere phrase to greenwash our dirty linen. In this aspect, as in the case of creating peace between nations and communities through tourism, we need to focus on using tourism directly as an agent of change for the protection of earth. If humans can destroy, they can also protect. Within this motive there are innumerable gaps that need to be filled in travel responsibility by our world for humans to minimise their environmental footprint. 

Below is a list of ideation focusing on interviews connected to media research over the past seven years of the Harmony Page, based on the integration of tourism with economic welfare, peacebuilding, traditional knowledge, poverty alleviation, indigenous medicine, ancient rituals, customs, spirituality and the route to environment protection.

nVolunteerism as tourism; Here we can look at the importance of the youth traveller market such as bag-packers who are at times sidelined as low spenders. In one conversation with a newly passed out medical practitioner from Germany who was in Sri Lanka looking for volunteering options in western medicine focused hospitals, it was found that one does not have formalised ways that we could make use of such generous actions. Youth volunteerism in developing nations can tap into both local and international tourism enhancing its philanthropic advancement. Youth hold a vast mount of idealism in a jaded world and encouraging youth travelers could have large dividends and could be a major contributor to home tourism especially in rural regions of a country. 

nIntangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in tourism for peacebuilding; ICH includes expertise of communities that cuts across many areas connected with culture/heritage such as indigenous wellbeing focused knowledge, knowledge connected with ancient hydraulic systems/water management, cultural traditions connected to religious belief, music and arts. These hold much promise for building stronger social bonds through celebrating diversity rather than isolation of communities. Using ICH in tourism for linking poverty alleviation with the integration of societies holds much promised and for this respective national ministries responsible for economy, social welfare and culture need to recognise the diffused nature of these disciplines and thereby develop ways of working together for the common welfare of all. 

nAn example of how ICH is vital for economic and cultural wellbeing is seen in the below example obtained through an interview this week. In interviewing a teacher in the Kotagala area whose PhD thesis centres around the role of music for national unity, it was revealed that one of her students, a twenty year old within the plantation community travels often in a month to Jaffna to perform at Hindu temples under the direction of a senior Jaffna Tamil music guru. This youth earns nearly two lakhs by participating in these performances which are traditional music traditions used for festivals such as marriages. Here in this example one can see a positive result in both the Plantation Tamil and Jaffna Tamil cultural merging as well as music being used for fostering spiritual heritage while at the same time encouraging economic wellbeing. 

nUnder-developed nations have potential of linking tourism with education. For example in an interview with Professor Rohana Ulluwishewa who researches the significance of spirituality (here this word is interpreted in a non religious manner to spell out ethical action) in different realms of life including education saw a link in encouraging exposure of teachers from nations such as China, Japan and Finland which have prioritised practice based education. There are many nations which have designed unique models for education to enhance the practice based ability of children who can grow up to be useful adults and not mere exam takers. For example Finland encourages children to be outdoors rather than at desks and all school canteens are managed by children in countries such as China and Japan. These nations also have many practice based learning webbed into the formal school curricula such as teaching basic carpentry and electrical engineering from very young age. These experiences can get shared when we encourage such teachers to travel to our countries. This can be linked to the volunteering model mentioned above and avenues can be arranged for local teachers to learn these teaching methods and apply them as suitable informally until such time that nations such as Sri Lanka develop such education systems. 

nCountries such as Sri Lanka have many worthwhile indigenous knowledge systems. Many have by now got fully extinct but there are senior citizens who still have ample knowledge on some of these that can range from indigenous nature based methods of wellbeing, first aid and food preparation. In an illness defined world which three years ago had lethal experiences in being locked up in fear of a virus, this seems the common-sense thing to do; to bridge the gap between ancient and modern knowledge to ensure nature centric, non-synthetic wellbeing. The traditional wellbeing models that ancient people used to share with their youth is held by fewer number of persons and can be used as narrations for tourists, both local and foreign to ensure that knowledge especially those passed vocally remains shared. 

nIn an international forum in Sri Lanka some years back on local tourism, some blunt views that had to be said were raised by some diplomats on basic public infrastructure such as hygienically maintained toilets in trains and public locations. This lack is a serious issue that impacts tourism which does not get enough discussion. We can learn from countries such as Japan which has a culture of paying utmost attention to individual hygiene and incorporating these values into creating a country known for complete cleanliness. As mentioned above in some of the above points, maintenance of schools and places of learning in Japan is done by children in entirety, and this includes toilets. As part of their training on the importance of self-reliant hygiene maintenance it is high time that Sri Lanka imbibes the pre-occupation of nations such as Japan in respect and inculcate children to respect others and oneself by the simple act of keeping toilets clean, however humble the infrastructure is. 

nThe world needs much more of organic agriculture to prevent disease of the soil, biodiversity, waterways, and the bodies of humans. Enhancing of the global organic cultivation movement can be done especially though the home tourism model as one of Sri Lanka’s iconic organic movement initiators and promoters Ranjit Seneviratne (85) is doing through his forest garden. In his home in Kollupitiya which has one unit for tourists, a main attraction is a forest garden that feeds himself and family, without the use of any chemicals or artificial fertiliser. He encourages children and youth visitors to explain how the soil can be nurtured naturally and how to make use of kitchen refuse to create manure. 

nIn a global perspective knowledge and respect for the comparative spirituality ethic, means that one gleans the many truths and teachings from all religions to live a productive and non-harmful life. Lack of exposure to other religious practices and rituals create fundamentalism in the mind. Exposing especially children and youth to differing places of worship can help to foster an enquiring, tolerant and peaceful mind so that as adults they would be inspired to learn more about the insights that could be obtained from these teachings. 

nOften we find today that the media in general across the world highlights the negative aspects of this world. Yet this world could have almost in equal proportion to the bad that occurs and is highlight, the good that is not showcased. Tourism can be used to promote the good in this world and thereby give energy to this good with the intention of creating more positive outcomes. In every post conflict situation there would be many peace focused endeavours that could be featured in a peacebuilding centric tourism blueprint. In Sri Lanka, currently the best humanity based tourism asset is its peaceful co-existence. Irrespective of whatever the negativity of the past, the present could be capitalised upon. One way to do this is to train tourism guides of all three communities and have them do tour guiding in small groups across the cultural diversity of the country.

nWhat is a notable gap in Sri Lanka is that some areas such as the North and East of the country do not get promoted enough in tourism promotion ventures. The North of Sri Lanka too is a pristine location of beaches and heritage. It would be ideal for tourism guides representing Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities to promote the Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian spiritual and cultural heritage privy to this nation.

nThere is a difference from what one sees in mainstream media across the world and connected stereotyping and what one witnesses in actual travel. For example in visiting a Muslim family in India some time back the ordinary life was seen to be a commemoration of unity with Hindus and in a detailed conversation we paid attention on the positive aspects on all that is good in India for non Hindus. Similarly in Pakistan in a recent visit to attend the Catholic Sunday Mass and discussions with many Musim and Christian Pakistanis what could be seen is that the general tendency to focus on the negative is removed when one actually visits these areas. Hence tourism could be described as one of the main routes to seeing and experiencing how people 99% of their life is occupied with goodness. Tourism therefore can be a vehicle that that transports this goodness from heart to heart.

Note: This article is part of an ongoing media research by the Harmony Page on ideating for using tourism for capacity building, poverty alleviation and peace creation. Our edition on September 27 will carry a follow up special feature on how poverty can be re-looked at and changed through people centric tourism in Sri Lanka.