Sri Lanka wins top travel award despite twisted history

One good thing about tourists who holiday here, is that they are sticklers for democracy and fair play 

• Let’s look on the bright side and not entertain negative thoughts. Yes,  Sri Lanka needs to compete against other tourist destinations such as  the Maldives, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, India and Nepal. Many  moons ago,  there was a necessity to find an alternative to the traffic  congested Negombo-Colombo road. This is because tourists who arrived at  the Bandaranaike International Airport looked to depart to their  preferred destination as fast as possible. Now that problem is solved.  But still, negotiating traffic here in the island is a strenuous task
• Sri Lankans are known for great hospitality. When you show that you are a caring and a decent host, foreign nationals would forgive us even if there are shortcomings in our service

Sri Lanka is at present cock-a-hoop after topping the list in a survey done to find out the 50 best islands to travel to. Sri Lanka fared extremely well in this survey, conducted by www.enjotravel.com

Sri Lanka is in search of achievements to celebrate after its economy crashed. This news is oxygen for an island which is recovering from a severe financial setback with the help of IMF loans and debt restructuring. And during this recovery process, getting to know that a world renowned travel website has listed your country as the leading travel destination means a lot. 

Sri Lanka needs to convince itself again that this is an island with the potential to convince outsiders to travel here. According to the website, which crowned Sri Lanka as a travel destination, there were several factors which worked in its favour during this survey. Some of the areas in which Sri Lanka scored heavily on during the survey were ancient heritage, lush landscapes and golden coastal lines. 

But when foreign tourists arrive here they are going to witness poverty and  even worse inequality. There are good reasons to present Sri Lanka as a nation that treats everybody equally. The outside world has been watching us, both before and after the civil war. In some places in the coastal belts, foreign nationals here on vacation are conducting businesses and stealing the opportunities available for local entrepreneurs. A good example for this would be Arugam Bay where Israeli tourists are ruling the roost.  

India had a similar challenge when it hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2010. The host city for the games was New Delhi. On one side India was ambitious to showcase itself to the world, but what was an eyesore was the poverty and inequality spread all over this city. 

The present regime is ambitious to get it right as administrators of the country; hence the reason to place qualified people in decision making positions. The government must have a solid plan to welcome tourists when they arrive here in their numbers. Just a reminder that Sri Lanka has made travelling to this island convenient by waiving the need for visas for seven selected nations. 

Let’s look on the bright side and not entertain negative thoughts. Yes, Sri Lanka needs to compete against other tourist destinations such as the Maldives, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, India and Nepal. Many moons ago,  there was a necessity to find an alternative to the traffic congested Negombo-Colombo road. This is because tourists who arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport looked to depart to their preferred destination as fast as possible. Now that problem is solved. But still, negotiating traffic here in the island is a strenuous task. 

Sri Lankans are known for great hospitality. When you show that you are a caring and a decent host, foreign nationals would forgive us even if there are shortcomings in our service. There was a sense of arrogance when the previous regimes oversaw the operation of tourism in this nation. We need to be friendlier and showcase to the world that there is a sense of genuineness behind that Sri Lankan smile. 

We must also cultivate the quality of empathy. Certain hoteliers go that extra mile to make hot and spicy Sri Lankan dishes palatable to the European tongue. The same effort must go to making certain destinations here in the island safe to travel. Ella might be one of the most sought after destinations by tourists. But there are complaints that some of the streets in the precinct of Ella are dark at night. This is due to lack of street lights. Then there are those who complain that some of the routes frequented for trekking are dangerous. Apart from that Ella is often overcrowded, and there is a garbage problem that this town is battling against. Critics point out that state officials who have a say in Ella area must pull up their socks!

One good thing about tourists who holiday here is that they are sticklers for democracy and fair play. They don’t like to be played out by vendors. For the record, there are so many videos on YouTube which highlight the dark side of tourism in Sri Lanka. Most of the videos underscore greedy vendors overcharging unsuspecting foreign tourists. This is why we need a special tourist police unit in every travel destination within this island which is already in the world tourism map. 

The good news for tourists, both local and foreign, is that a You Tube channel launched by the Sri Lanka Police some time ago has reached a landmark. It recently passed the 100,000 subscribers mark. This is a great achievement by the Sri Lanka Police. Many believe so because the police is often present to hand over charge sheets or document a person’s wrongdoing and produce him or her in courts. But, now, with this You Tube channel, the law enforcement officers can educate the public rather than penalise them. 

Sri Lankan authorities must do all they can to safeguard the country’s heritage. There are tour companies that offer packages promising to take tourists on a ‘Ramayana Trail’. One of the stops in this trail is the Seetha Kovil in Nuwara Eliya. The locations in this spiritual tour are significant with the teachings in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. The story of Rama and Sita facing an ordeal in Sri Lanka is documented in this Hindu scripture. But that story is quite a contrast when compared with the Sri Lankan version of the story that features Indian prince Rama, princess Sita and Sri Lankan King Ravana. 

In the Ramayana, the Sri Lankan king Ravana is portrayed as a villain. For Sri Lankans, Ravana is an accomplished king with superhuman powers. This contrast that exists in how the foreign tourist is made to see Ravana and the different perspective that exists in the mind of the local tourist regarding the same individual has damaged Sri Lanka’s image. Sri Lankan authors launch so many books each year, but what have they done to rectify the Ravana controversy? Right now the book to read on this debatable issue is Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta which is penned by Indian author Amish Tripathi. In this scenario, a tourist from India visiting Sita Kovil in Nuwara Eliya to revive nostalgic memories of Rama and Sita is more likely to happen than a Sri Lankan going in search of a historian who knows the Ravana story in depth.  The Sri Lankan authorities have a lot to do in order to mend some parts of its twisted history, at least for the sake of tourism!