Comment

Tourism in the North, East

Tourism, without any doubt, is one of the many sectors that has benefited immensely as a result of the end of the conflict which ravaged this country for 30 years.

Although no tourists have been ever affected as a result of terrorist activity, the negative publicity emanating from the conflict areas kept many potential tourists away.

Moreover, many foreign governments issued so-called travel advisories which discouraged non-essential (i.e. leisure) travel to Sri Lanka.

These advisories usually specifically mentioned the North and the East, but many travellers simply opted to stay away from other areas as well.

The conflict and the 2004 tsunami severely affected tourism around the island.

While a country such as Singapore which has only a few natural and cultural attractions receive millions of tourists a year, Sri Lanka with its myriad tourist hotspots gets only around 500,000 tourists. Clearly, Sri Lanka has the potential to attract millions more.

The dawn of peace will thus be a shot in the arm for the tourism industry.

Several countries have already relaxed their travel advisories and bookings have gone up. Sri Lanka Tourism’s new marketing campaign also has the potential to attract more tourists. The dynamic new Tourism Minister is also likely to reveal his plans to develop tourism soon.

Among other positive factors, more airlines are flying in to Colombo, while those who already operate to the country have increased the number of flights. More hotels are being refurbished or built.

The biggest peace dividend for tourism will be the opening of the Northern and Eastern provinces for travellers. Both provinces were earlier known for their famous tourism spots.

As for the Eastern province, many of whose cities remained under Government control throughout, intrepid tourists still made the trek despite various difficulties.

The Eastern Province has a head start over the Northern Province as far as tourism is concerned. The Northern Province is yet to see reconstruction on a vast scale, which is already happening in the East.

The entire tourism infrastructure has to be re-built in the North, whereas some infrastructure facilities remain in the East. It is in this context that we welcome moves to upgrade the hotels in the East.

There are nearly 1,000 hotel rooms in the Eastern province, located in Nilaveli, Batticaloa, Arugam Bay, Passikudah and Ampara. Arugam Bay is already attracting top surfers from around the world, just two months after the end of the war.

One problem seems to be that most hoteliers in the province have not kept pace with the developments in their sector. They will have to be educated on these developments and more investors channelled to develop the hotels.

The industry needs more three and four star hotels in the East, if not five stars present. The hoteliers should be given all possible concessions and incentives to upgrade the hotels. The rejuvenation of the tourism and hotel industries will necessarily lead to the creation of more employment opportunities for youth in the region.

A simultaneous program should be launched to further develop the general infrastructure network, which will also generate employment. For example, an erratic power supply is not conducive to the hotel trade and telecom facilities too have to be upgraded.

Along with a better road network, it is essential to upgrade the airports at Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampara and to commence regular domestic flights.

More tourism sites should be identified - it was reported that Kudumbigala and Magulmaha Viharayas will be developed as new attractions.

The Galoya National Park will also be developed. Tourism authorities should not also overlook the potential for domestic tourism in these areas.

It is also essential to market the Eastern Province and in the long term, the Northern Province, as major tourist attractions in their own right, not only in the traditional tourism markets but also in newer ones. But the authorities should be ready to face a deluge of tourists once the good news spreads far and wide.

The Eastern Province shows every sign of becoming a serious competitor to the Southern and North Western belt. Now is the time to focus serious attention on tourism development in the Eastern Province while keeping an eye on the North, which can also aspire to similar heights.