Tourism, a forex goldmine for Lanka | Sunday Observer

Tourism, a forex goldmine for Lanka

21 August, 2022

Tourism is the talk of the town today. It is also a key source of income to the country which is now cash-strapped. However, there is lot that could be done to develop the industry.

The country has the potential to attract more travellers due to its vast diversity and climate which should be exploited strategically to woo in more visitors both local and foreign.

However, the lucrative industry faced many setbacks in the recent past which has also been the case for many tourism-dependent countries.

The rich culture, history, architecture, shrines, places of worship and the natural beauty of the country had been used to promote the destination in the past.

However, there are certain areas of the industry that have not received adequate attention. Tourism is considered a major source of income in many countries. There are many sources of income which is unique to each country. Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and India are some of the proffered travel destinations due to their unique attractions.

For example travellers from the West prefer the East for its unique attractions.

The Easter Sunday attacks, the global pandemic and the country’s current crisis had adversely affected the travel industry.

Urgent measures should be taken to revive the industry, a vital foreign exchange earner to the country

Travellers love to visit Sri Lanka for its hospitality and culture. Visiting the indigenous community and cultural events are some of the preferences of travellers.

There are certain travellers who like to learn about Sri Lanka which follows Theravada Buddhism..

Many US and European travellers prefer to visit Tibet to learn Buddhism. They go there to learn about the religion of the Dalai Lama and his followers. Also, travellers from the West love to visit Thailand and Vietnam to learn the philosophy of the Buddha. But we have not properly promoted religious tourism to promote the destination

Sri Lanka tourism should promote forest and the scenic beauty for meditation.

Also tourists like to visit ancient places such as Sigiriya, Dalada Maligav (the Temple of the Sacred Tooth relic), temples in Degaldorua, Ambakke and Dambulu Vihara.

We need to promote these locations and have programs for tourists. China and Vietnam promote s spiritual tourism.

However, it is vital to provide proper facilities to attract visitors to the country.

Tourists should be treated well as in other countries to make them come back.

In certain instances tourists have been harassed by locals which should be prevented at any cost..

Travellers want to make the best use of their vacation. Therefore, we should provide them a memorable stay. The travel industry should look at resuming seaplane operations to save travel time

They need to visit places for which fuel and proper accommodation facilities should be provided..

Educational and MICE tourism also should be promoted.

Students from China, Burma, and Thailand come to Sri Lanka to study but there are problems in providing accommodation for them.

Another area to promote tourism is new technology. It is important to seek technical cooperation for the promotion of tourism. Using apps to search and reach locations is vital.

Sri Lanka also uses Google Maps. Apart from that, it is important to create a separate app for tourism itself. In some countries, such as China, we see that there are maps with hotel facilities and other facilities required for such tourists.

Also there are cinema lovers among visitors who love to those locations which we need to look at to promote the destination.

Comments