Perspective:

Sri Lankan Tourism: Most beautiful girl on the beach

Geoff Wijesinghe

Tourism has the potential to become Sri Lanka’s top foreign exchange earner. The country’s scenic beauty is unparalleled. Its golden beaches, rich vegetation, varied climates, ranging from tropical to Mediterranean, are legend.

That’s why this 25,332 square mile island is known from ancient times as the Garden of Eden, this demi-paradise.

The hospitality industry’s infrastructure is of the best international standards.

Until recently, the industry was directed by the Tourist Board, which was hamstrung by bureaucratic red tape, inconsistent planning, lack of vision and paucity of funds.

Efficient officers manning key posts but receiving poor remuneration were more often than not attracted to employment in the private sector which offered them better prospects.

Things became so bad that due to bureaucratic bungling in 1989-90, all tourists numbering several thousands enjoying the sun and the sea without any let or hindrance were herded to Colombo hotels and sent back home post haste.

Even after this disastrous faux pas, the product was so good that it recovered the next year and recorded a 60 per cent increase to 298,888, and this was higher than most of the South Asian countries. In 2007, we had 494,000 tourists.

Today, we have a reorganised, revitalised tourism plant with a tried and tested professional as the chairman of the Tourism Development Authority, and a Tourism Promotion Authority with wide private sector participation.

This augurs well for the industry, for the public and private sectors must, at all time, work in unison as a team in a spirit of togetherness towards its development.

The dark cloud of LTTE terrorism which has hung over the industry for the past three decades is being blown away. Soon, tourism will be freed of its principal shackle. The other, the global economic recession which has affected our traditional markets must be overcome through dint of vim, vigour, vision and vitality.

Tourism was projected to have 600,000 arrivals and a 43 per cent increase in foreign earnings to $550 million this year, according to reports.

However, this is unlikely due to the current circumstances.

Whatever the vicissitudes, industry must, with dynamism, planning and foresight, relentlessly pursue new markets for our product. New innovative strategies introduced to sustain our traditionals in the West affected by the recession.

According to reports an annual growth rate of 5.5 per cent in arrivals is forecast for the next 10 years.

Given a conducive environment, Sri Lanka will rise to 29th position from its present position of 108th out of 176 countries in the global tourism arrival index according to these reports.

Sri Lankan tourism is still the most beautiful girl on the beach.