Need to encourage idealism of youth in tourism initiatives

Samien Nowotarski (centre) from Belgium posing with his travel team from Netherlands alongside the staff of the family-run restaurant, Walanda in Nuwara Eliya 

By Surya Vishwa 

Let us begin with a question. Why do human beings spend their hard-earned money and leave a place they are used to which they call a home or a hometown and travel to another locale? Is it to just live in a pristine edifice with luxury? If that were the case why cannot that kind of comfort be acquired in their own territory?

This question was something that was keenly discussed by a group of youth from the Netherlands and Belgium respectively while sitting in the village centrically crafted restaurant, Walanda, we featured last week. 

On a rather sunny poya day in Nuwara Eliya (17 October), five ideological young persons, all between the ages of 20 and 29 are sitting in this restaurant, being guest and marketing advisers both at the same time. Some of them are qualified in technology oriented marketing and they look at how the restaurant is featured on social media and Google and suggest modification and updates. The others make their rounds to the entrance of the restaurant and suggest how to improve the visibility and suggest many useful ideas which include for a welcome sign to be placed if possible and for entrance space to be utilised and to prevent any of the doors at the entrance to be closed. This may give an impression that the place may be closed, they point out. 

They then take photographs of the place and take down the contact details of the family who manage it and promise that they will upload the photographs on several WhatsApp groups of youth travellers of Europe. All this happens while they wait patiently for their meals. There is a possibility that they just might miss the train to Ella, their next destination in Sri Lanka but they do not mind. It is more important for them that they do their maximum to support a rural small-time family-run business not used to large numbers of foreigners visiting them. 

Young travellers with hearts crafted in gold

In the conversation that follows makes it clear why countries need young travellers who may not be all that rich but whose hearts certainly seem to be crafted in gold. 

“Why do people travel if they are just seeking luxury?” asks 28-year-old Samien Nowotarski from Belgium, the only male in the group. 

“We are not looking for Western food and Western type of comfort. We are looking to live like the people of the countries we go to; to eat their food and to be as they are.”

It is clear that he has a lot to say on such matters and seems to be a keen supporter of people focused tourism models which he feels is what interests the young backpacker.

In a world torn apart with conflict and stereotyping the passionately humanistic outlook of Samien and his friends seems to bathe the whole place with a ambience as bright as the morning sun.

They have ordered parata, dhal and eggs and this is served with coffee and tea. Samien and his friends Dora, Famke, Puck and Lieve relish and compliment the rather nervous hotel staff on the taste of the food, which bolsters up the mood of Sanda, owner and manager of the eatery who feels that what they have to offer at hand may not be sufficient. It is a poya day and since holidays are dicey when it comes to customer volume, they have avoided making excess of items. But Dora, the quietest of the lot speaks up and says that the food was the best she has eaten in a while and the group once again starts ideating on how to promote this humble restaurant on global scale. 

Spend time with different people in faraway places

“These are the types of places we want to go. We want to talk to ordinary people. We do not want to go to exorbitant five-star hotels which are the same in any country, anyway. We travel all the way to spend time with different people in faraway places to see how they live life. We travel to locations outside our own which is Europe because…well, our people tend to be rather tunnel vision. They care only how they are and that is it. Here in these parts of the world we can see that it is different. The people care about others more. Of course, some of them also see tourists as people they could obtain more money from, for example our tuk tuk driver I feel over charged us but this is not always the case. There are drivers who also charged very low prices,” shares Samien.

They then share their observations on how the rare appearance of the sun after weeks of dampness has made the entire Nuwara Eliya to do their laundry most of which is displayed on roofs and fences!

“It is a pretty sight,” quips Famke. 

I think of some locals who yearn for these sights to be wiped clean from life and instead prefer the sterility of artificial comfort with the humanity of survival erased.

In the rest of our conversation we discuss the need for the world to be networked with people represented tourism ventures that also makes it possible for young people, the future changemakers of this world to travel cheaply. 

They then pay up, give a generous tip and checking their purses decide to travel to Ella by bus. 

I tell them that the buses generally have loud music and this seems to be something they like and they are now adamant somehow to travel by bus wherever they can. 

“We leave back home in two days but we will come again,” they promise.

After one more round of photographs and a little more or sharing tips to promote the restaurant, they leave.

Their enthusiasm, idealism and freshness seem to linger. 

Note: This write up is part of a series of promoting local entrepreneurship which includes ventures associated with tourism. We are in the process of ideating on integrated models of tourism that combine peacebuilding, arts, entrepreneurship, spirituality and nature protection. We will be featuring home tourism ventures from across Sri Lanka from South to North focusing on encouraging both local and foreign travellers to witness the cultural tapestry of this nation and to interact with ordinary people living ordinary lives who nurture extra-ordinary dreams that are encased in love, understanding, compassion and peace.