Jean-Marc Flambert Views & Interviews 19 June 2009 216 views One Comment  Print This Post  Email This Post

Tourism is set to boom in Sri Lanka according to Sri Lanka’s tourism experts.  Are we going to let the thirst for the tourism $$$ allow un-sustainable development ? Do we have the will to say no to the wrong kind of projects ?  As far back as 2002 or 2003, it was identified that Sri Lanka needed to double its present room stock to about 25,000 if the magical 1m tourism arrivals is to be achieved. This assumes the average 1.6-1.7 occupancy per room, the present seasonality Jan-March running near 100% in a normal year, and the off season at around 30-40%. This also assumes the present 9-10 night average stay as though Europeans (and Germans in particular) have traditionally taken 2 week breaks, the trend is towards 7-10 day stays is on the increase, and we are attracting 20% of our arrivals from the Indian short break (3-5 night) market. If we are in a numbers game (numbers vs quality tourists should be another debate), then we need the extra rooms ! Can we increase revenue, increase numbers and still be sustainable ?

There is no doubt that we have the rules and regulations in place. Vil Uyana is a good example of how we can protect our environment and make money. The hotel spent close on 2 years getting necessary approvals from about 15 (if not more) government bodies and authorities I am told. The result, an award winning product that can be show cased to the world. Vil Uyana does not consist of a 100 rooms, but it has the potential to make more money for its owners and local community then many a tourism project 4-5 times its room strength. Whilst it may not have performed well in the investors eyes yet, I am confident that this pioneering project will see success after success in the era of “New Sri Lanka”.

The key challenge facing our administrators is the ability to stand against pressures to bend rules to attract the quick development victories. Sri Lanka is now established as a key player in the global rush towards being green and carbon friendly. Sri Lanka Tourism launched the www.earthlung.travel initiative in 2007 and spoke along side Brazil at the Tourism Ministers Summit at the World Travel Market in 2008. In addition, hotels such as Vil Uyana and Hotel Sigiriya have won many awards for the work in this field under the guidance of Hiran Cooray and Srilal Miththapalarespectively. Can we stand by the system and help ?

If you and I open our eyes, and learn to speak out in public, I am confident we can. We have at times been a nation of whiners who complain over a glass of arrack to our closer friends, but never utter a word in public. Why don’t you and I take a stand and let ourselves be heard ? I was very encouraged when Sri Lanka’s business elite rallied under the cry of “Sri Lanka First” in 2001. If we did it then, lets do it again. It is a new beginning for Sri Lanka and one that all of us have a voice in. We must lead the charge to develop, and speak out against those who don’t have a sustainable approach.

Together, we can build a new Sri Lanka.

Related posts:

1. National Council for Sustainable Development to be formed
2. Maha Mega Uyana: Setting new standards for Dry Zone Dairy Industry Development
3. The project Sustainable Tourism Development Project is now in the pipeline.
4. Forming partnerships with universities towards sustainable development
5. More thoughts on tourism development