Challenges in Promoting Tourism Industry of Sri Lanaka

         Challenges in Promoting Tourism Industry of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanaka has a long history of tourism, dating back to the times of ancient kingdoms. According to different sources of historical accounts, many foreigners have visited the country for various reasons. Ancient chronicles provide ample evidence of visitor such as Fa Hien, Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta, not as tourists in the modern sense, but for different reasons visiting the country. Europeans stared visiting Sri Lanka from the beginning of 16th century mainly for trade, firstly the Portuguese and then the Dutch and British periods along with the expansions of international transactions of the country, especially rapid expansion of the plantation sector during the British period.

Even though the Ceylon Tourism Bureau was established in 1937 to promote the sector; its functions were affected adversely by the Second World War. The tourism did not receive an adequate attention in the early stages of the post - independence era as abundant prosperity was generated by the plantation sector. Along with the changing economic contours, new avenues were being explored in the subsequent years. The Ceylon Tourist Board was established in 1966 after identifying the potential of tourism, and  later it was replaced  by Sri Lanka Tourism Authority in 2007. The arrival of tourists increased slowly but surely since late 1960s and the arrivals reached to 103,204 in 1975 and 2,116,407 in 2017. The tourist arrivals increased by three fold between 1975 and 1980 and again it increased by 21 fold between 1975 and 2017. There were ups and downs of the industry due to domestic as well as international factors in the post. Among all, the civil war (1983-2009) retarded the progress of the industry to a great extent. Tourist arrival increased rapidly since the end of the war although the annual growth rate has not been steady after the early increase.

"Sri Lanaka in an island country and god has given to Sri Lanka blessings of nature blue seas, green hills, sandy beaches, abundant wildlife, cascading waterfalls, a riot of flowers and fruits, coconut groves, tea estates, spice gardens." (UK Essays 2017). The monarchs in olden days built a lot of monuments, pagodas, ponds, gardens, fortresses, tanks, sophisticated canal systems and stretches of rice fields. Colonial rulers introduced coffee tea, rubber and large scale coconut cultivations. Similarly, they built colonial administrative buildings and bungalows, roads, railway system, towns and city centres, forts, harbours, airports and canals. The modern administration, law and order, communication system, health, and education were not second to any country in the world. Sri Lanka would have displayed this heritage to the rest of the world and generated.   

Negative impacts of tourism industry on Sri Lankan culture

1. According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority survey indicates the possible cultural issue are primarily of two kinds namely. tourists engaging in culturally inappropriate behaviour due to their lack of awareness about local cultures. and the risks faced by local citizens due to increased associations with tourist.
2. Increased arrival of tourists into a an area may also pose threats to tourists due to petty robbery and harassment.
3. Tourists may not be aware of local customs and traditions and they may not be informed of cultural differences and what is deemed acceptable behaviour within a traditional Sri Lankan community.
4. As an example. the report said: "Proper attire for visiting religious sites, acceptable attire for beach areas, asking permission before taking pictures of local people, may not be familiar to tourists.
5. Such seemingly inappropriate behaviour. largely due to ignorance, may be perceived as lack of respect for local culture or as invasion of privacy by residents.
6. Harassment of tourists is also possibility in a situation where the arrival of tourists increases to an area. In such situations, the harassed individuals can call up the tourism hotline based in Colombo. SLTDA can assign the task of sorting the matter to relevant police divisions thought the tourist police in Colombo.
7. The local community will be made aware of the sexual risks that are usually associated with tourism.
8. Spreading threats of HIV/AIDS in areas where tourism is currently a flourishing industry.
9. The case of 'beach boys' in the Western and Southam coastal areas has been documented  as providing services largely of a sexual nature.
10. Though individuals seem to be voluntarily engaging in these activities, it is usually poverty and the environment around them that push them towards these sexual trades.
11. Drug addiction thought associations with tourists may also be of concern for communities the survey pointed out.
12. Tourism can cause child labour and child abuse.
13. Introduction of casinos to attract tourists may destroy the culture of Sri Lanka.
14. Sri Lanaka culture may affect the development of tourism industry.