Ex-Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism tells govt. not to put cart before horse

Attempting to boost tourist arrivals without enhancing domestic production will only create further problems in the country, Dr. Rohantha Athukorala, the former Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism and Sri Lanka Export Development Board, has said.

Taking part in a television interview, Athukorale said that Sri Lanka hoped to attract five million tourists by 2030 and out of that 2.5 million were expected to be high-end tourists.

“We need to look at the bigger picture. We must see the role tourism will play in the bigger picture of the country’s development. In the current situation, we have a shortage of food; for example we don’t have enough eggs. 75 percent of the people have reduced their food bill so their kids can go to school. On top of that we expect to get 1.5 million tourists this year,” he said.

When a country skews itself toward one particular industry, it suffers with regard to other aspects. In such a situation, organized groups come in and see how they can exploit that industry, Dr. Athukorala said. This is manifest in certain groups that harass tour guides and their clients, and groups of taxi drivers who prevent other drivers from booking apps.

“We have to balance tourism with production. If we produce enough, we can guarantee essentials for people and products that many tourists need at a reasonable cost. Otherwise, let’s say we achieve the target of five million tourists in 2030 without boosting our agriculture. Then either tourists will consume a significant portion of our food or we will have to increase imports drastically. Then, instead of having 75 percent of the people who have reduced their food bill, so their kids can go to school, we will have 90 percent of such people”.

Dr. Athukorala said that authorities must also take steps to convince people that they, too, have a role in ensuring the success of tourism. While there is a global marketing campaign going on to attract tourists, people must be taught that they should behave in a way that keeps the promise we have communicated.

“Tourism is a goose that lays golden eggs. We have to behave in a way that wants to make people come back,” he said. He said that following the global pandemic, where people were stuck at home, there has been a massive increase in people travelling. Sri Lanka has benefited greatly from this. However, moving ahead, the country needs to develop the strategies and infrastructure to receive the tourists.

“65 percent of tourists who come to the country go to the Temple of the Tooth. During the Kandy Perahera, which attracts thousands of tourists, there is a shortage of toilets. Look at Ella, a hot destination, and there are no public toilets for tourists.

“The private sector, who makes the money from tourists, must step up and build the toilets. They also need to understand the need to build up infrastructure. If not, there will be so many bad reviews in the coming years, and that will even hurt the high-end tourist traffic that we want to attract,” he said.