Former SLTDA chairman queries need for new Tourism Act in pandemic
Mr. Udaya Nanayakkara
Square pegs in round holes cannot decide for an industry run predominantly by the private sector by calling for a change of the legislation that governs tourism by appointing bureaucrats to the helm of its governing bodies but need to focus on overcoming the challenges of a global pandemic.
Former Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman and industry veteran Udaya Nanayakkara in an interview with the Business Times at his residence in Colombo said on Thursday, “I can’t see any reason for a new Tourism Act.”
Perplexed by the decision of the SLTDA to draft a new piece of legislation by repealing the existing relatively new Tourism Act of 2005, he explained, “This is a global situation (COVID-19 pandemic) and in my estimation for tourist arrivals to return to 2.5 million it could be by end 2023.”
He pointed out a number of other aspects needed to address in the recovery process insisting that in spite of the numbers highlighted by the government on the tourist arrivals the majority of visitors are “locals holding foreign passports.” March recorded tourist arrivals numbering 4,581.
“As a person who has been involved in tourism for a couple of decades I find the main drawback has been the appointment of people who are square pegs in round holes,” Mr. Nanayakkara observed.
“One must realise that tourism is a totally private sector driven industry,” and in this context there has been no consultation with the private sector in the drafting of the new Tourism Act. The industry has been asked for their “input” from the Tourism Ministry after drafting the new Act.
“At the time of the formation of the 2005 Act which I was also a part of giving an input, maybe a few adjustments are needed but certainly not eliminating the private sector in the decision-making process,” Mr. Nanayakkara asserted.
“I have read the new draft Act and I cannot fathom why the private sector has been almost eliminated on the decision-making process.”
The former Chairman noted however, that there could be an amalgamation of Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) because conventions is just another tourism product similar to wellness, sports and adventure.
There should be three different outfits, on concentrating on regulatory aspects similar to what the SLTDA is doing and another purely concentrating on tourism marketing and promotion and the other for human resource development for the hospitality industry, he said. In this respect, the scope of the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM) should be enhanced, he pointed out in a bid to meet today’s requirements.
The former Chairman also explained that the SME sector should also be represented on the board.
The composition of the board of the SLTDA comprises bureaucrats other than the Chairperson under the draft Act, it was noted.
“I don’t think a one hundred per cent private sector invested, operated industry as tourism should be governed by a total civil servant board,” he explained explaining that this has caused a number of erroneous decisions to have been taken even bordering on illegality.
He pointed out that the circular on consulting the Attorney General’s Department by all government establishments for all litigation which this SLTDA board is alleged to have been ignored by hiring private counsel at a “colossal expense to the establishment” in the Yala land case and the Fundamental Rights case against the SLTDA of trying to transfer a legal officer to a provincial council.
Moreover, Mr. Nanayakkara pointed out that there are allegations that a land in Marble Bay and an island in Kalpitiya both belonging to the SLTDA, the former is to be reverted to its original owner and the latter to be leased out.
In this respect, he noted that private sector involvement on the boards are vital with separate heads with a focus on bringing back tourism to the country carefully following the health protocols and not a new piece of legislation that will install bureaucrats to boards that will bow to the people appointed with “hidden agendas”.