Driving growth in tourism: Bold strategic direction needed

SRI Lanka — a tropical island of beauty and diversity — has all the necessary attributes to become a prominent tourism destination in Asia.

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Unfortunately, despite the three-decade-old civil war ending in 2009, the successive Governments as well as industry stakeholders failed to develop the tourism industry with a clear strategic direction over the last 16-year period.

Our policymakers need to learn from the tourism planners of the neighbouring Maldives. Since 1983, the authorities of the archipelago have developed five tourism master plans, enabling the South Asian state to establish itself as a leading global tourist destination. These master plans have prioritised sustainable development within the tourism sector while also emphasising the protection of the environment and natural resources. Astute and clever planning has been critical in the Maldives becoming a sought-after choice for vacation and recreation among high-spending tourists in Europe and North America. In 2023, the Maldives earned $ 4.2 billion as tourism receipts — a phenomenal achievement for a country inhabited by a very small population.