By Nasriya Naffin

Sri Lanka is working on a four-year strategic plan to develop the tourism sector between (2022 to 2025). The plan identifies opportunities and gaps and provides a structured plan to work on. The goal  is to have a plan for recovery and to build a future resilient tourism sector. The tourism sector globally faces unprecedented challenges. For countries that rely on the tourism industry, it is recommended to focus on actions that will recover the sector.

The plan also supports the benefits of tourism across the Island. It also supports female economic empowerment which makes the industry more resilient to external shocks and thereby contributing positively towards the improvement of the macroeconomic indicators of Sri Lanka.

The data shows that the tourist sector in Sri Lanka has not been able to thrive for a prolonged period. This is even before the Easter Sunday attack and the pandemic. This is caused by many macro and micro level constraints and gaps. A gap analysis revealed four issues that constrain and underpin future sustainable and resilient tourism sector growth.

In order to overcome these gaps the following has to be fixed.

• Build a resilient tourism industry

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has functioned on thin margins and is therefore susceptible to any decline in tourist demand. There is a need to improve the sector’s viability so that it is more resistant to external shocks. To provide higher quality services, the staff must be better qualified, and a social protection system would safeguard the livelihoods of workers during a recession. Industry and support organizations need to establish a more robust crisis management framework. Additionally, community support is required for industry activities.

• Positioning, branding and marketing has to be implemented

Destination branding requires more consistent and integrated marketing communications. This will be bolstered by a greater grasp of the segmented market, which will enable Sri Lanka to find its place on the international market. This will facilitate more efficient product planning and the creation of more diverse tourism products.

• Creating inclusivity and equal opportunity

Sustainable tourism must be a major component of Sri Lanka’s overall strategy. Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the industry to gain access to capital and expand will increase inclusivity. Women’s engagement in the tourism workforce must improve.

• Institutional improvement with better coordination and regulation

Currently, the lack of cooperation between numerous public bodies impedes their ability to deliver an industry-friendly climate. This is detrimental to tourism planning and destination administration. It also impedes foreign direct investment in high-quality tourism infrastructure and products. This is an impediment to enhancing the service quality standards necessary to create a more valuable destination.

Three priorities have been strategically identified to overcome the challenges. They are:

Priority #1—Protect

Under the most optimistic scenario, the return to “normal” levels of tourism demand will not occur until late 2023 or early 2024. There is a need to preserve assets and individuals who have already suffered during the past three years of intermittent business and who face two more years before a return to normalcy. Permanent scarring must be minimized so that, when tourists come, there is still an industry to serve them.

Priority #2–Recover

Because we don’t know how international tourism will recover from the pandemic, a creative marketing campaign is planned to support this strategy. Some conventional source markets won’t provide many tourists for some time, thus new markets must be explored. Sri Lanka should increase digital communication with tourists in traditional source markets so long-haul leisure travel resumes. Prioritize tourists’ health.

Domestic tourism, which has kept the business alive for two years, will be promoted and grown. Sri Lanka’s positioning and branding will be improved throughout the recovery phase. A Global Communication Campaign will be launched to reposition Sri Lanka to coincide with its tourist vision and objectives.

Priority #3–Build back

Once demand is restored, the focus can move to establishing a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable tourism economy. This technique proposes dispersing tourists on multiple routes and to different destinations. This requires strengthening underserved tourist infrastructure and increasing tourism product investment. Effective environmental regulation will encourage retrofitting existing premises to create ‘green’ hotels.

Additionally, there will be a strong emphasis on improving the regulatory framework to allow tourist developments to facilitate the necessary increased investments in infrastructure and tourist products.