– How can we make it sustainable?
The heading I found on internet captured my immediate attention as tourism is something which can bring the most scares resource: Dollars to Sri Lanka.
But the question is; are we getting the potential revenue from tourism or have we positioned Sri Lanka properly in the minds of the tourists not just to increase numbers but to attract quality tourists? When read through most recent publications and with the experience and the shared stories of the people in the field what’s evident is that we as a potential tourist destination are not attracting the right customer yet.
Even though the numbers show a spike in the recent past due to the end of war, there seem to be no long term strategy for Sri Lanka to build on tourism.
With compared to some of the SAARC countries in our own region; Maldives has just sand, sun and sea but they attract quality tourists whose average spend is far greater than the tourists who visit Sri Lanka. Even destinations such as Bhutan has a minimum spend specified by the government if a foreigner is to visit Bhutan ( Average of $ 250 spend is the floor for a tourist). Out of the two strategies, what would most suitable for Sri Lanka would be, the latter.
Considering the cultural heritage, diversity, wildlife experiences, surfing all in one package... Sri Lanka has the biggest potential in the region. Therefore, one of the first steps to improve the quality of tourism in Sri Lanka is to set a floor spend per day for those who apply for visa.
Focusing only on the quantity without striking a balance between quality and quantity would create Sri Lanka tourism unsustainable. As per the article published by ‘ The Guardian’ there seem to be an unseen issue that Sri Lanka is going to face in time to come.
“Tourism is a major income generator for the country. Unfortunately, much of our tourism is focused on numbers of tourists [rather than] the investment they make in the country,” says Asha de Vos, marine biologist and founder of Sri Lanka- based conservation organisation. “To accommodate the numbers, we are building more hotels and infrastructure and taking over natural spaces. The pressure on our wildlife and cultural sites is immense and destructive. The overdevelopment is ongoing and unending – and because of the lack of coordination and planning, many hotels lie empty. So while tourism has its positives, if done haphazardly and without planning you destroy the very resources that draw people in.” - She seems to have foreseen a problem that can become an issue if failed to address at the early stages. With compared to an example from Europe such as Santorini in Greece where the country makes most of its income from Tourism, the tourist hotels and accommodation are highly regulated to maintain a unique appearance.
Facing the Atlantic ocean on the hill, all to be seen is white walls and not a single establishment is covered by another thereby protecting the scenic view of the mesmerizing Atlantic Ocean to its tourists. Law and order is in place to make sure both foreigners and locals are equally protected.
De Vos says development is affecting coastal areas and national parks in particular, where capacity is being exceeded in peak season and has led to an increase in pollution from rubbish not being disposed of properly. She continues to state that “Sustainability should be at the core of any tourism product that is created.”
She seems to have foreseen a problem that can become an issue if failed to address at the early stages. With compared to an example from Europe such as Santorini in Greece where the country makes most of its income from Tourism, the tourist hotels and accommodation are highly regulated to maintain a unique appearance.
How can the sustainability be achieved in tourism?
Before answering this question, it’s important to take a look at what sustainability means in today’s context where the world is having ever increasing environmental issues due to increased production capacities and pollution.
Certain developed economies are struggling to find a way to go back to its basics as the growth itself has created many issues to confront in the long run. The ocean is going to be more polluted to the level that; there will be an amount of garbage in the seas which would be equal to the weight of the fish in the sea by 2050.
In the local context; we have lost Wi l p atthu thank to unplanned political decision taken by politicians and now the Knuckles range is also in danger due to tourism related developments. It was amplified in social media during the last few months that Sinharaja forest has been under a chemical attack but to date no authorities have taken action against anyone.
In this backdrop, it’s a must to come up with a regulatory body which acts promptly without marking time because the failure to take actions will result in loss of natural resources which is the very essence and the core of the beauty of Sri Lanka and ruining which would never top us in the list ever again.
It was in media; that Sri Lanka is going to be positioned as an authentic tourist destination by spending LKR 20mn during last year. What needs to be done is to invest a similar amount on establishing unbiased regulatory body to protect authenticity in Sri Lanka. Especially the wild- life sanctuaries, natural inhabitants, coastal belt, historically important sites and cities should be taken under an authority which can take care of them irrespective of who is in power. The body should not be politically bound and be independent of political interferences.
‘Meeting one’s needs without compromising the ability of others to meet their needs and live happily demands a unique behaviour in individuals, communities and countries -- they must act, not only for their own wellbeing but also for the wellbeing of others, including the generations to come. They must perceive themselves, not as separate entities but as integral parts of the whole. They must seek to enhance the collective happiness; the total sum of the happiness of all members of the human society.
What it takes to be sustainable in the long run?
‘ Meeting one’s needs without compromising the ability of others to meet their needs and live happily demands a unique behaviour in individuals, communities and countries -- they must act, not only for their own wellbeing but also for the wellbeing of others, including the generations to come. They must perceive themselves, not as separate entities but as integral parts of the whole. They must seek to enhance the collective happiness; the total sum of the happiness of all members of the human society.
This requires a fundamental behavioural transformation; a transformation from behaving as separate self- centred entities to behaving as integral parts of the whole, or transformation from separateness to oneness.’ I learned this from prof – Ulluwishewa who has been in the University of Sri Jayapwardenepura and now resides in New Zealand writing books on Sustainability.
After having a long chat with Professor Ulluwishewa what I realized was that for the sustainability to be sustainable it needs to have a fundamental change in the way we behave. The same applies to tourism and its practices and parties who are in the supply chain and also in the consumption- end or the receiving end too.
The need of the hour is to find a model which can be mutually beneficial to all the parties in concern. In that sense, the tourists who visit Sri Lanka should be able to get a truly memorable experience. At the same time it should not harm the environment and the society. With all that it should generate enough income and it should promote quality tourism. The question arises now is: where can this sweet spot be found where it creates a winwin- win situation for tourists, local community and the government?
This is where the true authenticity comes in to the picture.
Authenticity of tourism in Sri Lanka
Two highly prominent discourses in the social sciences of tourism, the one relating to the quest for authenticity in the tourist experience, the other to the sustainability of touristic sites, amenities and attractions, have run in parallel in the local context, without engaging each other. The time has come for them to hold hands together for a better future of tourism in Sri Lanka. The reason is that the tourists who seek for authenticity will never harm the environment nor will ever be expecting anything alienated to the environment.
They would be the kind of tourists who would enjoy the environment as it is and also those who seek the originality of what they see. The world is moving away from Service marketing which had a very high f ocus on prov i d i n g an unmatched service which could also be called ‘Athata- Payata” in local language.
The next shift was to find ‘ experiences’ and the tourism was focused on providing ‘ unmatched experience’. From experience it has moved now to ‘ memorable experience’ and now the ultimate goal is to provide the visitor with an ‘authentic memorable experience’.
But in the recent past authenticity has gained much more importance as a solution for ever increasing need for sustainability. The educated- well- readdisciplined- wealthy tourists would no longer look for luxury. They would look for authenticity which is in other words simplicity and originality. It also includes, museum like feeling, the aura of seeing or experiencing the original thing and also the uniqueness in experience.
For example a tourist who visits the original “Awukana Statue” in Anuradhpura would be 1000 times happier than the one who sees a replica of the same at another location. Research conducted in related areas of study has found that tourists want the aura of the real or the authentic object than a replica.
Sri Lanka has many such places and experiences which are authentic and which need to be replicated. Replication drives mass production and it will make it less sustainable. Talking of authenticity, another aspect of the same is food. Today, food has become more of ‘ staged- authentic’ than authentic.
Authentic Sri Lankan food to be found in many commercial set ups where the authenticity is staged or show cased – Nuga– Gama at Cinnamon Grand or Kingsbury’s Wadiya like place by the pool are such set ups where authenticity is staged. Village setup in the heart of Colombo is a dream for many and tourists wh o v i s i t Cinnamon hotel has the opportunity to experience what’s called the staged- authenticity but there are many tourists who wants to experience real village food or what is known as the typical Sri Lankan food.
Hence, it’s paving the way for local authorities to look into many avenues to promote tourism in a sustainable way so that the local communities can make a living out of it at the same time; the tourists get the opportunity to make truly memorable memories in Sri Lanka. The above mentioned elements are more skewed towards the worldly or physical aspect of experience than the spiritual aspect.
Spirituality and Sustainable tourism- is it a possibility for Sri Lanka?
Today Oxford offers bachelor’s degree in mindfulness. A handful of western people who learned the true essence of Buddhism and its techniques recommended to tame the mind has made a curriculum out of it and is offered as a qualification. The techniques used for mindfulness are more or less the same Satipattana techniques that Sri Lankans known for thousands of years as it was an integral part of our local society. We as a nation can offer Spirituality and mindfulness in tourism for those who seek for a spiritual experience. Spirituality/ mindfulness is also a part of authentic experience which could easily be converted to a unique package.
But it needs direction and commitment. If regulated and supported well, spiritual tourism is also an important element of tourism that could be promoted in Sri Lanka. Some of the foreigners that I met in my preliminary study mentioned that fact that they take part in Yoga sessions. Whilst we are trying our best to provide tourists with a luxury experience which they anyways experience in their dayto- day life, the developed Western tourists are looking for simple, original and real experience.
What tourists would want is clean and well maintained toilets and bathrooms. Other than that it’s a waste of money to spend colossal amount of money to make replicas of what they experience at their home. Gone were the days, tourists look for luxury. Now the luxury is redefined and people are more educated. Most people know what life is all about. They are ready for a simple yet unique or real experience. What needs to be figured out is; HOW it could be provided.
Tourists ‘‘ are driven by the need for experiences more profound than those associated with the ‘ shallowness’ of their [ modern] lives’’. They are searching for real things, real people, and real places. Sri Lanka could be the paradise which provides this experience to the world. ‘ Sri Lanka – Authentic Elegance’.
– Denzil Perera