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Developing tourism's full potential

The Government's intention of turning Galle Fort into a major tourist destination is likely to be welcomed by not only the local tourist industry and the travel trade but by also the majority of the lovers of Lankan culture.

This will not only bring into greater focus Galle Fort as a World Heritage Site but help to highlight Sri Lanka's appeal for not only the lover of natural splendour but for also the historian, the researcher of Eastern cultures and the tireless traveller of the Occident and its perceived mystique.

We are glad that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has sought to emphasize these aspects of Lanka's tourism appeal. It is high time we went beyond the conception of Sri Lanka being a mere haven for the low-spending tourist with its clichetic "golden sands" and "sunny beaches," although we are quite aware of the fact that such pleasures are also sought by many a high-spending Western tourist who savours the simple pleasures of life. Nevertheless, the need is great to project our rich cultural heritage and civilizational appeal, through the major promotional ventures under consideration. Galle Fort, given its eventful history and quaintness as a relic of our colonial past, should figure prominently in these promotional projects of the future.

The government needs to be commended for enthusiastically forging ahead with its development plans with a degree of visionary zeal despite gathering pessimism in some quarters over political stability and the habitual sabre-rattling in opposition quarters.

There is no getting away from the fact that the current spell of peace has produced some dividends - material and emotional - and it only stands to reason that maximum benefits should be derived for the people from the opportunities which are opening-up. Tourism is one such potential treasure trove which needs exploiting.

While welcoming the current moves to give Sri Lanka "a global brand identity," we wonder why local tourism and travel expertise shouldn't be drawn into these projects. While a pragmatic approach to using the required resources should prevail, it is a cause for some unhappiness that local talent is not adequately being drawn into these ventures.

Such a strategy would not only help in saving valuable foreign exchange but also enable a base of local-level expertise to come into existence. This aspect of local tourism promotion needs to be gone into. Let us not wilt and wither in the fatalistic outlook that all that is foreign is necessarily best.

Coming back to current promotional plans, it cannot be emphasized enough that besides cultural tourism, the State would need to look into the possibility of exploiting in full our eco-tourism potential.

There is enough greenery still left in this country to actively promote this vital aspect of tourism.

However, if Sri Lanka is to be promoted as an eco-tourism destination our natural resorts and sanctuaries would not only need to be protected but further developed and diversified.

These aims cannot be achieved easily, if environmental destruction is proceeding apace. Thus, an integrated approach to developing tourism needs to be adopted.

Our tourism developers need to work in collaboration with the local environmental and Wild Life authorities to bring their schemes to fruition.

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