The country’s return to a semblance of normalcy has made it appear as though there is some relief for the tourism industry. There are many other Asian destinations that are competing for travelers as Sri Lankan tourism tries to break free and win them back. According to this analysis, Sri Lanka should focus on developing sustainable tourism in order to effectively market the country as a tourist destination.
Sri Lanka tourism today
Due to the ongoing political and economic crisis, arrivals fell to extremely low levels.
But unlike the previous crisis, this new one that has affected tourism is not a security issue. The lack of essentials like food, fuel, gas, medicines, etc. is causing a national economic crisis that is upsetting everything. It was extremely difficult to maintain hotel operations, and the offered goods and services were becoming of lower quality.
Tourists were the only ones inconvenienced by all of this. Security-related issues are nonexistent. Actually, the few tourists present only felt sorry for the people of Sri Lanka, but they still had a good time.
So, with the relative easing of some of the ground issues, such as the availability of fuel and gas supplies, most of the concerns that the visitors had about Sri Lanka are now fast diminishing. Many adverse travel advisories by countries have also been relaxed. Consequently, occupancy rates in most hotels are showing a marked upward trend. Up to July this year, the arrivals have reached almost 459,000, up from 194,495 last year at this time. With strong interest and new bookings filtering in, it is expected that the winter 2022 season will be reasonably good for Sri Lanka, and it is estimated that we will reach about one million visitors by the end of the year.
The impact of COVID on travellers
The long-drawn-out lockdowns and restrictions on travel took a heavy toll on most people around the world. Some of these impacts are:
- Social isolation
- Mental distress depression
- Anxiety through lockdown
- Changes in feelings and lifestyle
- Reduced physical activity
- Unhealthy eating habits
- Inadequate sleep quality
- Feeling of loneliness
- Family lifestyle affected
- Psychological distress
- Unstable financial circumstances
- School closures and suspended educational services
There is a consequent increase in demand for travelers as the travel restrictions loosen. But these protracted times of loneliness and strain have compelled people to think deeply about the environment and the harm we humans have done to the planet. Protecting the environment and the natural world seems to be gaining more attention these days.
As a result, tourists generally appear to be seeking solace from stress while also being more concerned with preserving the environment.
These are the new travel trends following COVID:
- Adventure travel – outdoors
- Nature travel – letting nature heal your soul
- Experiential travel – immersive and participating
- Authenticity – real thing
- Customised travel – tailor-made
- More responsible travel – creating a positive impact on local communities
Sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism is defined as “tourism that fully accounts for its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities.” -UNEP and UNWTO.
In a more straightforward manner, tourism is the industry that strives to protect and advance local communities, the environment, and both nature and business interests at once.
It is seen quite clearly that proper sustainable tourism practices will be able to deliver on the needs of future travellers.
Hence, it is quite evident that, in general, destinations that embrace sustainable tourism will be able to meet the needs of the emerging (post-COVID) trends of travellers.
Sri Lanka as a sustainable destination
In this context, it may be worthwhile to take pause and do a quick “audit check” on Sri Lanka’s tourism attributes and sustainability.
Nature and environment Wildlife
- One of 34 biodiversity hot spots in the world (ref Conservation.org)
- 1,340 kilometres of coastline
- Home to largest animal that ever lived on earth – whales
- Home to largest land animal in the world – Sri Lankan elephant
- Home to world’s smallest animal – pigmy shrew
- Home to ‘Big Four’ of Asia
- Possibly largest leopard density in the world – Yala National Park
- Sixth greatest world wildlife attraction – annual gathering of elephants in north-central Sri Lanka (Lonely Planet)
Protected areas
- One of few primary tropical rainforests in the world – Sinharaja forest
- Twenty-six national parks
(protected areas)
- Six world Ramsar-certified wetland sites
- Four UNESCO man and biosphere reserves culture
- More than 2,500 years old history
- Eight UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Third century Sigiriya rock fortress
- World famous cultural pageants (Kandy Perahera)
- Ancient monuments
Community
- Many MSMEs involved in activities
- Approximately 950 homestay units in the country registered with the SLTDA (2021)
- Estimated that some two million people’s livelihoods are in some way related with tourism.
As a result, Sri Lanka has all the necessary qualities to be positioned as a sustainable tourist destination and may even be among the world’s most unusual locations.
way forward for Sri Lanka’s tourism?
From the aforementioned, it is obvious that travelers of the future will look for vacation destinations that are more environmentally friendly.
The emerging (post-COVID) travel trends of tourists can be catered to by destinations that are more committed to sustainable tourism. It was also discussed how diverse Sri Lanka’s tourism options are, and it is clear that Sri Lanka possesses all the necessary qualities to rank among the top sustainable tourism destinations.
Thus, it is not “rocket science” to understand that we must immediately begin a program to effectively develop, position, and market Sri Lanka as a sustainable tourism destination in order to fully capitalize on the industry’s projected future growth.
Source : dailymirror