A visitor Management system programe would be essential to encourage positive and sustainable visitor experience in Sri Lanka’s wildlife parks, research reveals.

 A team of Researchers Supun Lahiru Praksah Convener of the Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle, and a team of researchers Priyan Perera, David Newsome, Tharaka Kusuminda and Obeliya walker had carried out a research to find reasons for visitor dissatisfaction highly visited national parks.

 The research was based on collecting revives made by visitors who spent their trip in five of the most visited national parks. The research was carried out by examining 206 negative reviews made in a travel website.

 It revealed that there were over 15major causes for visitor dissatisfaction and most of the reviews are of park management related problems.

 Some among the reasons for the visitor dissatisfaction are the conduct of tour operators. The visitors also made comments on the ethical conduct, legal compliance and of their safety.

 The overcrowded conditions in the park and congestion of vehicles at wildlife sightings had contributed to visitor dissatisfaction.

 Foreign visitors too had pointed out that traffic congestion, lack of opportunities to observe a broader range of wildlife, unreasonable entrance fees for foreigners and poor implementation of visitor management guidelines/policies by park management as the most frequently cited issues leading to visitor dis- satisfaction.

 The tourists have written negative reviews in travel websites that the park management is not concerned about the environmental quality of wildlife.

The foreign visitor’s reviews also point out maintenance of the roads, behavior of other visitors and lack of quality tour guide interpretations too are issues that they are facing.

 Therefore the research strongly suggests that the Department of Wildlife Conservation and park management needs to implement visitor management strategies to provide a positive visitor experience.