SriLanka
Sri Lanka is among the most popular tourist destinations in the world. It is strategically located between West Asia and South East Asia and was an important station on the silk route. To convey the country’s riches, beauty, and intensity of attachment, travelers referred to it as Serendib, Ceylon, Teardrop of India, Resplendent Isle, Island of Dharma, and Pearl of the Orient.
Today, travelers are welcome to Sri Lanka to experience the country’s brilliant tapestry of culture and the rich bounty of nature, which has been so generously bestowed, and to believe the old adage that good things come in little packages. Its geographical orientation, particularly the warm sun-kissed beaches, gives a variety of alternatives that lead to the ultimate holiday location. The variety of temperatures, vegetation, and beauty draws people to Sri Lanka. It is a must-see place for nature and wildlife enthusiasts because tourism offers safaris, treks, nature walks, and camping, all of which might provide them with an unforgettable experience. The entire island is alive with birds and creatures. Elephants and leopards are abundant. Though the foods are not particularly pricey, they are delicious, and the people of the country are quite pleasant and helpful.This colorful collection serves as an indicator of its wealth.
The country meets all of the prerequisites for becoming one of the top tourist destinations, with absolute peace, political stability, and climatic fluctuations seen through spectacular waterfalls, rivers, scenery, tea estates, and many other appealing locations. Sri Lanka has a rich legacy, with more than 2500 years of recorded history and around 250,000 archeological sites.UNESCO has designated eight world heritage sites in Sri Lanka: the hill capital Kandy, the sacred city of Anuradapura, the Dutch fort of Galle, the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, the rock fortress of Sigiriy(The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, 2011).iful Horton plains, and the Singharaja rain forest. So, without a doubt, Sri Lanka is unique in that it has something for everyone.
Tourism increased in 2011 and is likely to grow much more in the following years. Colombo, the capital city, the Cultural Triangle (Dambulla, Polonnaruwa, and Anuradhapura), cities such as Kandy and Galle, and most of the southern beach towns with good tourist amenities are all improving, as are the highways that connect them. The advantages of Sri Lanka as a tourist destination are threefold. First and foremost, it is a legitimate tourist destination. Second, because the island is just 65,610 square kilometers in size, a traveler can travel the entire area in a matter of days.Third, it boasts an unprecedented range of tourism products. In 2010, the tourism authorities began positioning eight different goods around the country to better communicate Sri Lanka’s diversity: heritage, beaches, wildlife, mind and body wellness, scenic beauty festivals, Essence, and sports and adventure. (Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, 2011). Sri Lanka’s unique traits, known as the country’s essence, include art and culture, spices, tea, gems, handy crafts, and its people. Travellers and traders have been drawn to Sri Lanka since ancient times, and it is a lush tropical island of deep spirituality and peace. Sri Lanka captured the Western imagination as the “Tahiti of the East.”
Sri Lanka provides a wide range of tourism attractions for all types of visitors. The dominating beaches in Sri Lanka include Bentota, Beruwala, Hikkaduwa, Galle, Negombo, and Trincomalee, which are popular for relaxation, sunbathing, and surfing. The culture and heritage department uncovered Sri Lanka’s 2500-year-old living legacy. It was founded in the fifth century BC, when Buddhism was first introduced on the island. Anuradhapura is known as Buddhism’s capital city.
The sacred Bo tree is the oldest living tree in recorded history, having developed from a sapling of the tree where the Buddha obtained enlightenment.(Lanka Facts 2012). Sigiriya is the 8th Wonder of the World. The “Veddha’s” are Sri Lanka’s indigenous people.They are Sri Lanka’s indigenous population.Wildlife is an important assert. Elephants, leopards, black bears, and a variety of other animals can interact with jungle wildlife sanctuaries. Nature Witness Sri Lanka’s unparalleled biodiversity, including waterfalls, misty highlands, breezy mountains, and the Sinharaja Rain Forest. The United Nations designated Sinharaja as a world heritage site. According to the World Tourism Organization, Sri Lanka boasts 49 unique attractions, 91 uncommon attractions, 7 world heritage sites, and 6 out of the world’s 300 ancient monuments. (Asian-Planet.net, 2012).
The Board of Investment has implemented incentives such as tax breaks, duty-free imports, and relaxed regulations on foreign exchange holdings. The government’s incentives have mostly encouraged investment in the hotel industry. The current hotel capacity is 13,670 rooms. That figure is expected to rise to 21,000 rooms by 2004, meeting the aim of 1 million tourists. Previous year, five regional domestic airports, Rathmalana, Koggala, Ampara, Trincomalee, and Jaffna, were reformed at a total cost of around Rs. 2 billion. Rathmalana would be built as a “City Airport”. This indicates that the tourist industry is a major source of foreign exchange earnings for Sri Lanka’s economy. As tourism develops, better connectivity via new highways and the conversion of military to domestic airports may make high-end hotels in Sri Lanka’s Deep South and East viable options to the Galle area.
Sri Lanka’s proximity to source markets like India, as well as its connectivity to the Middle East and China, would aid to continue tourism growth. The increase in per capita income and, as a result, consumer expenditure in these source markets will help drive tourist growth.
Infrastructure growth to fuel tourism growth: To ensure future tourism growth, tourism projects must be balanced with infrastructure development. We anticipate that with improvements in road infrastructure and the development of the new airport in Hambantota, a number of new destinations will emerge in the country, particularly in the north and east, where there is abundant natural beauty to attract tourists but currently poor connectivity. We anticipate that additional airlines will operate in the country as the second airport develops.
Greater competition will help to drive growth: We anticipate increased rivalry as new hotels open in popular places such as Colombo, Kandy, Bentota, Sigiriya, and Galle. We anticipate that current hotels will undergo progressive upgrades in order to compete effectively with new hotels. In addition, as hotel income has increased in recent years, we anticipate an increase in the number of hospitality-related transactions, mergers, and acquisitions.
Challenge of attrition to other destinations: Currently, the hotel business is experiencing major personnel turnover to countries in the Middle East, the Maldives, and India. However, with a more stable political environment and an improvement in the quality of life in Sri Lanka, we predict attrition to steadily
Shortage of skilled labor: As new companies enter the market, tourism is expected to rise, but there will be a shortage of skilled workers. We expect the need for new hospitality education institutes as the tourist sector’s contribution to the overall economy grows.
Leave feedback about this