ILO experts sceptical about SL’s 2.5 million tourist target
Sri Lanka’s target of attracting 2.5 million tourists to the island nation while increasing the room capacity to 50,000 under the Five-Year Strategic Plan is totally unrealistic and cannot be achieved, top tourism experts say.
According to information gathered from a workshop conducted in Colombo, Wolfgang Weinzan, a German tourism specialist, told the Business Times that factors like the room capacity, skilled human resources and socio –economic relation between the government and the rural community should be considered before setting ambitious targets.
He disclosed that the country will have to navigate socio-cultural and environmental issues as well.
Further the country should be mindful of the lack of community relations programmes at national level and ill effects on tourism industry expansion in rural areas as the people are vulnerable due little or no knowledge on this matter, he added.
The main problems are the brain drain in tourism manpower resources and lack of training facilities to improve skills, hospitality service manners and English language proficiency of rural youth who are willing to join the industry, he said.
Mr. Wolfgang made these observations in an interview with the Business Times on the sidelines of the Colombo launch of The International Labour Organisation (ILO) toolkit on poverty reduction through tourism.
The toolkit on poverty reduction through tourism aims at assisting developing least developed countries to create a sustainable tourism industry and businesses based on decent employment.
It is oriented towards SMEs and local communities in rural areas and includes case studies, training sessions and best practices. The toolkit illustrates the links between the ILO Decent Work Agenda, poverty reduction and the Millennium Development Goals
ILO National Consultant Priyantha Fernando noted that the key element among targets set for tourism will be the expected arrival of 2.5 million tourist arrivals by 2016 from 1 million in 2012, an increase of over 140 per cent, provision of jobs for 500,000 persons in 2016 through direct employment from 130,000 in 2012 which is an increase of 284 percent and increasing rooms to 50,000 from 22,260 in 2012, a 125 per cent increase.
Lack of knowledge and understanding of the industry particularly at a rural level among all stakeholders and the low skill levels within the industry are concerns to be addressed on a priority basis, Mr. Fernando added.
The toolkit localised and used at a rural level among small and medium enterprises and other stakeholders is expected to create the desired impact, he said.
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