Sri Lanka, being one of the most popular travel destinations across the globe, has suffered a triple blow: the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the protest campaigns in 2022 (March onwards). The industry that contributes almost five percent to the country’s GDP was also the third highest foreign exchange earner and recorded the highest revenue of US$ 4.3 billion in 2018. It is recovering creditably as of today. The sector provides over 500,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The country’s expectation is 1.7 million tourists and revenue of US$ 2.7 billion in 2023. By the end of August, the first seven months, the number of tourist arrivals stood at a laudable 900,000, generating revenue of around US$ 1.1 billion. The anticipated target of tourism arrivals for the year is 1.7 million, according to sources. Although the final target of US$ 2.7 billion for 2023 is challenging, the figures, both revenue and arrivals, are remarkable improvements compared to the past year.
The goal set forth by the Government is particularly testing because the road map developed by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority with the technical and financial assistance of the European Union (EU) and United National Development Programme (UNDP) forecasted only 3.5 million arrivals in 2025. The researchers arrived at this number after analysing the tourist arrival distribution from 2002. Therefore, achieving the elevated new goal can be a daunting task, yet achievable with support from all corners of the industry.
Revitalising the initiatives to transform tourism in the country, the Government discussed comprehensive short-term and long-term plans to enhance Sri Lanka’s tourism resources and how to accelerate the efforts to bring in more tourists in 2024. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in a meeting with the officials and the members of the tourism committee, discussed how to achieve the ambitious goal of 5 million tourist arrivals by 2025.
As Sri Lanka looks to transform its tourism sector in 2024–2025, the focus must shift towards sustainability, responsible tourism and inclusive growth. Transforming tourism in Sri Lanka is a multifaceted endeavour that involves various stakeholders, including the Government, local communities, the private sector, and particularly politicians and political parties. The tourism industry faces both opportunities and challenges that necessitate a comprehensive transformation strategy to ensure sustainable growth.
Safety and security are critical components of providing quality tourism. More than any other economic activity, a tourist destination’s success or failure is determined by its ability to create a safe and secure environment for guests. However, there was an evident rise in tourism-related criminal acts reported from many tourist destinations, tarnishing the image of the country.
Tourism-related crimes
In tourism-related crimes, the biggest blow is that media publicity is given to the incident only at the first instance and not follow-ups or punishments. Negative publicity is spread throughout the world, mostly through social media, affecting the industry.
Apart from tourist police posts, the authorities must establish a trained and more powerful law enforcement unit to manage common tourist issues. Also, developing robust crisis management plans that address potential threats, including natural disasters, health crises, or security issues, to offer well-prepared responses will instill confidence in tourists.
Sri Lankan foreign missions and consulates can have an extremely positive and significant impact on tourism. However, the current level of engagement with these missions is a grey area. Arguably, tourism is a driver for economic well-being as well as a catalyst for peace and tolerance through its cultural contributions. As diplomacy shares a similar set of goals, common ground can be found easily.
Since 2019, and the subsequent political unrest in 2022, the country has been in an awkward situation in the eyes of the world. Many countries issued negative travel advice and advisories with stringent warnings to travellers.
Particularly, almost all European countries, North America, and many Pacific region countries where the country can attract high-end tourists look at Sri Lanka as an unsafe country to travel due to the increased risk of terrorist activities, civil commotions and crime. Even today, if a tourist randomly looks at foreign travel advisories, they find more negative warnings than encouraging information.
Foreign missions can intervene more effectively in mitigating these travel advisories. According to media reports, as an important positive step, the Government has commenced initiatives to revoke or revise unfavourable travel advisories on Sri Lanka. This is an extremely important measure to achieve the goals set forth by the authorities to improve the tourism industry in Sri Lanka.
Tourism promotion is an area that has come under constant criticism by industry experts during the past few years for alleged multiple reasons such as political manipulations and influence, bureaucracy, corruption, and malpractices. Marketing campaigns have been proposed, and some of them were even started with a clean slate but failed to produce the desired results. According to industry sources, mostly private promotion campaigns brought in revenue for tourism.
Ending the drought, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLPTB) recently announced that a massive global destination campaign with a budget of Rs. 1.4 billion is scheduled to be launched in December. The campaign, which is planned to last twelve months, will cover important markets such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Scandinavian countries, Japan and Australia.
Also, evidently, with the recent enthusiasm displayed by the political hierarchy, the financial allocations seem realistic this time around, despite the heavy cash crunch.
Sri Lanka is known as one of the most sought-after tourist hot spots in Asia-Pacific, the second-most competitive region in global tourism after Europe. Hence, the competition for supremacy in the region is dreadfully fierce. Customarily, every country in the region is heavily dependent on tourism income and claims that each of them has the best tourism.
Top destination
Fortunately, important, and respected channels and magazines such as Lonely Planet, Forbes magazine, the Guardian, and The New York Times have once again identified Sri Lanka as a top destination in the world.
As Sri Lanka looks to transform its tourism sector in 2024, the focus must shift towards sustainability, responsible tourism and inclusive growth. To achieve the desired heights, Sri Lanka must focus on sustainability and concentrate on key aspects such as holistic eco-friendly practices, wildlife conservation and renewable energy.
In 2024, the Government and private sector should collaborate to reduce the environmental impact of tourism. This includes initiatives to reduce plastic waste, promote recycling and encourage responsible consumption of resources.
Also, as Sri Lanka’s unique biodiversity is a significant attraction for tourists, conservation efforts need to be strengthened. This involves safeguarding natural habitats, implementing ethical wildlife viewing practices and raising awareness about the importance of conservation among tourists.
To minimise the carbon footprint of tourism, which is a global requirement, Sri Lanka should invest in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power for tourism-related infrastructure. This not only reduces environmental impact but also lowers operational costs for businesses.
Opportunity at hand
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) declares that pre-pandemic international travel has reached 80 percent and tourism continues to show resilience. The WTO also asserts that two-thirds, or 66 percent of pre-pandemic numbers were recovered.
The information reveals the opportunity at hand. It also highlights the significance of the transformation of tourism in Sri Lanka.
The irony is that with its bountiful natural beauty, diversity, eco-systems, beaches and wildlife, Sri Lanka is not even in Wikipedia’s world tourism rankings charts in terms of international tourist arrivals or tourism receipts. Therefore, the renewed eagerness by the authorities must be not only constant but also continuous until the goals are reached.
Transformation in 2024 requires an all-inclusive approach that focuses on sustainability, infrastructure development, marketing strategies and the preservation of culture and the environment.
By prioritising these key areas and involving all relevant stakeholders, Sri Lanka can ensure that its tourism industry continues to thrive while also contributing to the well-being of local communities and the protection of its natural and cultural treasures. In doing so, Sri Lanka can maintain its status as a top destination on the global tourism map for years to come.
