Ensure safe, pleasant stay for foreign visitors to SL

Sri Lanka is heavily dependent on tourism to uplift its economy and there are promising signs that the sector is picking up. Train loads of tourists were seen in popular destinations such as Kandy and Ella over the past week while southern coastal towns too have seen their fair share of foreign visitors, a welcome sign indeed. As the Daily FT reported this week, earnings from tourism in January and February 2023 were at $ 331.7 million reflecting a 3.3% increase from the corresponding period last year, according to Central Bank data.

But along with the good news comes the bad news, that of harassment of foreigners mainly by unscrupulous three-wheeler drivers as well as traders who are eager to sell their goods at inflated rates. There are also reports of attempts to cheat and exploit foreign tourists by those keen to make a fast buck as the tourism sector rebounds. The recent incident of a slipper being flung at a tourist riding on a train is another incident highlighted in the media that has drawn concerns about the safety of foreign travellers. These unsavoury reports raise serious questions about how geared Sri Lanka is to provide a pleasant and safe experience to foreigners during their stay on the island.

The large number of tourists to Sri Lanka are shoe-string travellers or backpackers and use public transport especially trains but there is hardly any assistance to persons new to the country to find their way around at railway stations with no proper signboards giving directions in English or personnel to assist them at the station. Ideally major stations like Colombo Fort and others should have counters manned by English speaking personnel to guide tourists with brochures printed in multiple languages made available to them.

The Tourism Police set up to assist and protect foreign tourists is sorely lacking in qualified personnel and needs to up its game if they are to be taken seriously. This means recruiting personnel who are able to converse in English and preferably with knowledge of other languages. They also need to be visible in places that foreigners frequent in large numbers while women police personnel too must be recruited to the unit given the large number of women who travel alone and are often subject to harassment.

Sri Lanka Tourism (SLT) must also conduct more awareness programs among communities whose livelihood comes from tourism. This means making them aware that harassing and exploiting tourists is akin to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs because bad reviews they carry back with them will deter others from visiting our country and enjoying the wonders that it has on offer. It is the good reviews they place on social media and the good word they carry with them back to their countries that encourages more people to visit our land.

For years SLT and the Line Ministry have come up with ambitious plans to develop the industry but most of these have been confined to fancy reports and presentations. The Tourism Ministry announced recently it has launched a mobile app for the convenience and safety of foreigners, a positive development but how effectively this works, only time will tell.

As the World Tourism Organisation announced this month, tourism is back on track after three difficult years due to the pandemic followed by a global economic downturn. Sri Lanka is one among many countries wanting a large piece of the pie in an increasingly competitive sector. Ensuring a pleasant and safe stay for tourists is the job of the Tourism Ministry and SLT, one they need to take more seriously.