‘Domestic Tourism Resorts Neglected’
The neglect in developing the Domestic Tourism Sector Resorts has been over looked and the conditions in most resorts are poor, say tourism veterans.
Anuradhapura the Sacred City, is in a very poor condition and should be given immediate consideration for improvement. Quite apart from being the Sacred City, it can also be the gateway to the North and East.
Except for the Kataragama Rest House, all of the resorts have not been improved in the Domestic Tourism Development. It will help towards focusing on travel for Sri Lankans to places of historical interest especially during school holidays. There are also leisure areas such as Nuwara Eliya and Bandarawela where resorts were built and developed in the past for Sri Lankans to enjoy a holiday at affordable rates.
In the past special directors and other officials visited the resorts to improve the facilities but it is regrettable that the domestic tourism sector has not been given favorable consideration for improvement and development, say the travel veterans.
However, with the appointment of new Sports and Tourism Minister Navin Dissanayake, tourism industry can look forward to growth in the right direction which, over the years had not been progressive in a professional manner, said Nihal Perera, a well-known veteran in the travel industry.
Nihal Perera, who is the Chairman of the Sparklink Group and also a former director of Sri Lanka Tourism added that with the excellent combination of Sports and Tourism, the industry will be guided to greater heights with foresight to promote Sri Lanka as the ‘Wonder of Asia’ to continue with further growth with proper planning on promotions.
According to many veterans, the promotional activities conducted in the past by way of advertising in buses and cars in various overseas markets had not attracted visitors to the country in a positive manner as it had only created an image for the country. The actual growth was brought about by the private sector, they said.
It is the Private Sector in the Travel Tourism and the Hospitality Industry that has been the “Engine of Growth for Tourism” with Promotion Conducted together with Foreign Tour Operators to help the Growth of Visitors to Sri Lanka.
The emerging markets of China and other traditional markets of Sri Lanka should be vigorously explored to reach greater heights with correct guidelines given to Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, said the professionals who added that to work as partners in the hospitality industry, will auger well for Sri Lanka to achieve better results.
