By Nihal Jayawardane –
Nihal Jayawardane
After reviewing this policy booklet, it stands out as a significant departure from previous national tourism policies. What makes it unique is that, for the first time in history, a political party has proactively outlined a comprehensive tourism policy even before coming into power.
The policy emphasizes improving the business environment and strategically positioning Sri Lanka Tourism for the sustainable use of the country’s natural and cultural resources. A key focus is on strong government support to drive inclusive economic growth. Despite these discussions being ongoing for the past three decades, little has been achieved. To address this persistent issue, the policy proposes the establishment of two new institutions:
1. National Tourism Commission (NTC)
2. Tourism Policy Formulating Council (TPSC)
This would be an ideal approach if handled carefully, particularly in the appointment of key personnel to the newly proposed institutions.
After the Introduction, the policy booklet presents a rationale for its development. It highlights several critical issues, including the absence of visionary leadership, bureaucratic compartmentalization among authorities, a lack of innovation, inadequate evidence-based decision-making, inefficiencies stemming from slow technological adoption, failure to reach untapped market segments, continued focus on traditional marketing of attractions, poor utilization and mismanagement of resources, low awareness of tourism’s potential, an inability to assess and incorporate broader impacts, and the absence of a holistic approach.
The policy then underscores the significance of tourism as a key economic force. It articulates a Policy Statement that envisions Sri Lanka as a premier green tourist destination, offering holistic and authentic experiences to visitors. The focus is on ensuring sustainability, inclusiveness, and economic progress, with the government pledging to grant tourism priority industry status.
The policy emphasizes several key objectives, which are crucial components of its framework:
Position Sri Lanka as a Prime and Sustainable Destination: Establish Sri Lanka as a leading and environmentally responsible tourist destination.
Establish the Tourism Sector as a Primary Employment Generator: Develop the tourism sector to create substantial employment opportunities, adhering to global standards.
Ensure Inclusive Tourism Decision-Making: Promote inclusive and participatory decision-making processes at all levels of the tourism sector.
Ensure Professional Social Protection for Tourism Sector Employees: Provide comprehensive social protection for all employees within the tourism industry.
Align Tourism with UN SDGs: Integrate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into tourism strategies to create synergies.
Enhance Research & Development in Tourism: Align research and development efforts with tourism decision-making and product innovation.
Develop Underutilized Destinations: Improve infrastructure in underutilized destinations to ensure they remain active and vibrant year-round.
Promote Entrepreneurship and MSMEs: Strengthen entrepreneurship and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) within the tourism industry to boost the national economy.
Following these key policies, the document transitions into the direction of the National Tourism Strategy and Tourism Master Plan, which raises three critical questions:
1. Where is Sri Lanka’s Tourism Positioned Today?
* Industrial Review and Analysis: A comprehensive SWOT and PESTEL analysis of the current state of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
* Review of Past and Existing Plans: Evaluation of previous and current master plans and policy documents.
* Benchmarking: Comparison with similar and top 10 global tourist destinations.
* Failures and Gaps Identification: Identification of shortcomings and gaps, along with a root cause analysis.
2. Where Does Sri Lanka Tourism Need to Be Positioned?
* Vision and Mission Setting: Establishing a clear vision and mission for the future of Sri Lanka’s tourism.
* Broad Analysis and Stakeholder Engagement: Incorporating in-depth analysis and stakeholder opinions to set the objective of becoming the most attractive and sustainable tourism destination in the region within the next 10 years.
* SMART Target Setting: Utilizing the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) framework to define clear and achievable goals.
3. How Can Sri Lanka Achieve the Set Target?
* Strong Government Support: Ensuring robust government backing for inclusive economic growth.
* Sustainable Resource Use: Promoting the sustainable use of natural and cultural resources.
* Innovative Product Development: Standardizing and innovating tourism products to enhance their quality and appeal.
* Human Capital Development: Focusing on the development of human capital and active stakeholder involvement.
* Effective Destination Marketing: Implementing strategic and impactful marketing efforts to promote Sri Lanka as a premier tourist destination.
The policy document presents a comprehensive framework designed to integrate site-based and provincial tourism plans, ensuring a cohesive national approach. It outlines five Strategic Dimensions essential for the successful implementation of the policy: visionary leadership with strategic governance and inclusive economic growth, sustainable use of natural and cultural resources, human capital development, innovative tourism product development and standardization, and strategic destination marketing.
To support these dimensions, the policy recommends the establishment of key institutions such as the National Tourism Commission, Tourism Policy Formulation Council, Sri Lanka Tourism Authority, and the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hospitality Management. Additionally, the document delves into organizational behaviors, emphasizing accountability, the formation of sub-councils, and the overall operational scope. It also proposes an organizational structure tailored for effective policy and strategic implementation. The architect committee behind this policy has delivered commendable work, crafting a well-rounded and forward-thinking strategy for the future of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
Jit / September 2, 2024
I always wonder why people, particularly from the post graduate level education cannot understand what really ails SL in 2024!! The biggest mistake all these learned people do is that they have the mindset of 1930s to 1950s when we had budget surpluses, excess money in the coffers, being the second richest country in Asia, even lent a couple of thousand pounds to HMS Queen’s country……!!
Well, that time is loooooooong gone people! We are at the bottom and absolutely bankrupt now, irrespective of what Ranil keeps telling people, ably endorsed by Nandalal, on election stages!! Thank you, all the politicians after 1970, you have done wonderful job!! Our $$$ reserves are so poor that we do not ebven know how we are going to honour the international debt repayments in the end of this year. We don’t know how we are going to give a Panadol to a poor villager when he visits a govt hospital. We are not sure how a ten year old gets their schoolbooks in the new year? We don’t know how long the poor farmers get their fertilizer subsidy!! That is our ‘proud’ history! Contd….
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Jit / September 2, 2024
Contd….We don’t produce anything the world want, except a pathetic quantity of tea. Dilmah tea or Maliban biscuits that we so proudly talk about can only fill 0.00001% gap in our foreign $$$ deficit! We don’t have any lucrative foreign investments coming in either!! So, what is the most achievable, practical and quicker solution to fill our foreign reserves??
Let the tourists come in!! Let them enjoy our little white sandy beaches, history and food! Let them spend money here – do not clamp them with so called “sustainability tourism” theories that rich European countries can afford to implement. We are absolutely bankrupt, and we cannot demand sustainability from people who bring in $$$ that will fund our schools, hospitals, pensions, welfare, highways…………!! Sorry guys, we don’t have that luxury in 2024!!
When we are very rich (I am dreaming) 😊 you can enforce all those sustainability laws on tourists. I am telling this sincerely to whoever that is willing to take over the government in the end of this month.
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Nathan / September 2, 2024
National Tourism Policy & Sustainable Tourism Economy.
Impressive to hear.
However, there is a hitch.
How do we make the policy successful? How do we make it sustainable.
Oh, We have flora and fauna.
We have hills and terraces.
We have miles and miles of sandy beaches.
There is nothing that we don’t have.
Not so fast.
STABILITY.
We need to have stability.
Stability is the invisible ingredient necessary for a buoyant tourism industry.
How do we project ourselves?
I leave the answer in your hands.
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LankaScot / September 3, 2024
Hello Nathan,
Two of my Sisters and two of their Grandchildren (early 20s) have just arrived to visit us. They said it was Chaos at the Airport trying to get their Visas along with a couple of hundred other Visitors trying to do the same.
Who caused this problem? The Neo-Colonialists can’t be blamed for this. It wasn’t just today either – https://www.colombotimes.net/absence-of-online-visas-to-sri-lanka-causes-chaos-at-colombo-airport/
The Government couldn’t organise a “P*ss up in a Brewery” to use a UK saying.
Best regards
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Nathan / September 4, 2024
Hello LankaScot,
Thank you.
Airports are familiar territory to me. I was in Aviation.
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LankaScot / September 5, 2024
Hello Nathan,
So was I, maybe you flew some of the Planes the Company I worked for built. I was in the Defence and Space Division until we all came under the same Umbrella. IT and Radar etc. were my specialities.
Best regards
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Mani / September 3, 2024
Nice try, Mr. Jayawardane. From which budget line would the funds come for implementing this elaborate tourism policy?
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ramona therese fernando / September 4, 2024
Mani,…..from Tourist industry taxes and profit-sharing.
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ramona therese fernando / September 4, 2024
NPP has certainly thought far on the tourist industry. Can you imagine how well they will do with the other industries, and creation of new ones?
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1. Strategic governance and inclusive economic growth: Tourist Industry Billionaire Bosses to pay their Taxes, or pay their workers a decent wage in lieu of taxes.
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2. Sustainable use of natural and cultural resources: No more of fake village setting for tourists to force-awe at the bygone village lifestyles. Village life to be in real-time, and tourists to visit true worker-of-the- soil tourist attraction replete with authentic cultural heritage. Most tourists want to see how the average Lankan lives. Create opportunity for this.
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3. Human capital development: Workers, from the bell-boy to the coconut scraping personnel to receive increased minimum-wage and be included in profits-sharing.
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4. Innovative tourism product development and standardization: Enough of virginal novices from the Catholic Convents selling Portuguese lace pieces for gold prices (but we need people to install and maintain clean restrooms in the cities). Other local produce is quite excellent, but workers to receive a mandated share of profits. Ayurvedic produce is also excellent.
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ramona therese fernando / September 4, 2024
Cont….
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5. Strategic destination marketing: Interesting commentary on trains on the interesting history of sites that the train is going through, like Siri Pada and interesting facts on each town and village that is passed, together with interesting local music (quietly in the background). Train and bus rest-rooms to have constant cleaner servicing as done on rotational job basis. Also forest-people lifestyles, farmer-people lifestyles, fisher-people-lifestlyes, party-animals lifestyle in local style (already there I think), and cultural-heritage replete with religious experience (already there I think but can be improved on)….all given as a compendium of choices to pick and choose. Cultural dancing shows to have background scenery.
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LankaScot / September 4, 2024
Hello Ramona.
How about charging Tourists the same price as locals for entrance to Sites. Every time I take my relations to places like the Botanical Gardens, Sigiriya etc. I have to prove that I have a Residence Visa before they will give me Local Price. It’s the same with the Tea Factories, who incidentally charge extortionate Prices for their Tea. The UK is now a Third World Country and should be treated with Sympathy and lower prices😉.
So now I will take them to the Tea Factory, pay for our visit, and we will buy the Tea at our Local Up-Country Tea Shop at a tenth of the Factory Prices .
Best regards
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ramona therese fernando / September 4, 2024
LankaScot,….Yes. correct! Should be done asap….but maybe the local prices can be just doubled in rupees for foreigners. The exorbitant prices were part of Rajapaksa’s viatas of prosperity deal to only encourage the Billionaire tourism. Didn’t work at all.
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