Better times for tourism
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Early March is a period not only known for the start of the ‘big (cricket) match’ season by local schools but also when
Sri Lanka’s travel and tourism industry is virtually abroad: at the ITB Berlin travel and trade mega show. The biggest in the industry, the Berlin fair is the Mecca of global tourism trade fairs. And why not a gigantic representation of Sri Lanka’s industry (more than 100-strong) at a time when tourism is booming in the country and well within reach of those magical numbers in 2018: 2.3 million arrivals!
Excitement is mounting in the industry as the country welcomes growing numbers of arrivals. It is not only that the numbers are looking good, but the country’s policymakers are also breathing a sigh of relief as the growth of the industry is building the buffer of foreign exchange reserves with the steady inflow of foreign exchange.
Consider the arrival numbers so far. From March 1-17, the number of tourists was 111,284, in the month of February it was 218,350 and in January it was 208,263, making a total of 537,897 in the period under review. Last year, arrivals totalled 1.5 million while in the ‘best year so far’ 2018 it was 2.3 million.
At the Berlin show, Tourism Minister Harin Fernando told reporters that Sri Lanka Tourism is launching its destination brand campaign globally with a new positioning and a tagline: ‘You’ll come back for more’. He said 33 per cent of the travellers to Sri Lanka are repeat visitors.
“We have people from across the world returning to
Sri Lanka, some as many as 100 to 150 times,” he said, adding that they aim to attract 2.3 million tourists in 2024 (reaching the 2018 numbers) and earn over US$4 billion. The country’s long-term target is to reach five million arrivals and generate $21.6 billion in revenue by 2030.
As I crunched these numbers, the home phone rang. It was Arthika, my nonsensical economist friend also known as good-for-nothing Somey, who was – to me – good for something (advice) as I learnt on this Thursday morning. The trio had also gathered under the margosa tree but I’ll come to them later in this column.
“I say…..tourism seems to be booming in the country,” said Arthika. “It is….,” I said.
“This would also help foreign exchange inflows, increase employment and rebuild the village economy particularly in the provision of services to this industry,” he said. “A good boost to the economy and foreign exchange reserves. We also need to ensure that all the service points for tourists are well managed with a pleasant and friendly disposition by locals towards the visitors,” I said.
“We also need to be cautious about over-visitation or over-tourism which is an issue confronting many countries and cities where tourists outnumber locals,” he said. “Yes I thought of dealing with this in a separate column as it is an important issue,” I said, ringing off after a promise of meeting over a cup of coffee at a later date.
As I walked to the kitchen to get my morning’s mug of tea, I stopped by the window to listen to the trio’s conversation. They were also, interestingly, discussing how tourism has enriched the lives of their village buddies.
“Sancharaka viyaparaye guide kenek hatiyata weda karana magey yaluwekta ekapattama godak weda thiyenawa. Eya ekata godak isthuthi karanawa mokada hungak karadara thibbane avurudu deka thunakata weda nethuwa (One of my friends, who is a tourist guide, has suddenly got a lot of work. He is very thankful as they have suffered over the past few years without work),” said Kussi Amma Sera.
“Hotaleka weda karana magey nangige putha kiwwa honda servis charge ekak gaththa kiyala giya masey (My sister’s son who is working in a hotel, says they got a good service charge last month),” noted Serapina.
“Magey massinath kiwwa eya airport-ekata yanawa kiyala haema-dama videshikayan genna. Eh kiyanne godak weda thiyanawa kiyala (My brother-in-law says he has to go to the airport every day to pick up tourists which means they have a lot of work),” said Mabel Rasthiyadu.
Tourism in Sri Lanka has also had other positive spinoffs as the industry recovers from the pandemic and an acute economic crisis. For example, the political fall-out between India and the Maldives has meant more Indians are visiting
Sri Lanka than the Maldives. While one should not benefit from the misery of a friendly neighbour, this is a reality.
The drama in the Maldives came in January when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tweet, following a visit to Lakshadweep, an archipelago of 36 atolls and coral reefs off the coast of Kerala, India, said that it was a good destination for Indian tourists. It drew comments from Indians that this location was better than the Maldives (India then was that country’s biggest tourist source). That triggered unflattering remarks about Modi from three Maldives deputy ministers who were subsequently suspended.
The political fall-out is due to the Maldives’ new leadership bending more towards China than India for economic, trade and other support.
Indian authorities went further with the ‘avoid Maldives’ rhetoric, when, addressing a recent event at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Mumbai, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said, “My first advice to you, the next time you want to take a holiday, go to Sri Lanka. I’m serious. Please go to Sri Lanka. I say this to all of you.”
While Sri Lanka is carefully playing its cards in the India-China power-play in Sri Lanka, there are efforts to attract one million Chinese visitors per year in the next few years. According to industry officials, a mega event involving Chinese visitors is the staging of a marathon from May 1-3 with the participation of around 3,000 athletes from China resulting in around 5,000 visitors from there during this period.
The country is also planning to extend beyond March 2024, a free visa facility for visitors from seven countries – India, China, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan.
As I reflected on these issues, my thoughts went back to the mid-1980s when Sri Lanka got entangled in a raging war and an ethnic conflict, with tourism becoming the biggest victim.
It was a time when tourism in the Maldives began to grow and those opting to avoid Sri Lanka, visited that beautiful destination of hundreds of islands. Since then, the Maldives has become a luxury destination for travellers and offers a high-end product.
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