Tourists should be treated with dignity!

It’s such a shame to see locals behaving in rather disgusting ways in front of tourists. Luckily, the lady who was travelling near Arugam Bay was recording her journey when she had to face the shocking encounter. It’s clear that locals continue to harass tourists who visit this country based on recommendations. These recommendations may often harp on local hospitality and the fact that Sri Lanka is a ‘safe’ place to travel. But if this is the level of safety experienced by tourists, it certainly is a shameful precedent for this island nation. While the economy now depends heavily on tourist arrivals, despite the fact that Sri Lankan tourism hardly caters to the high-end tourist, the country has a lot to do in terms of ensuring the safety of our visitors. If a local could go around showing his private parts to foreigners – those whom we rely on to take a positive message about Sri Lanka to the world, this country would certainly become unpopular in no time. On the other hand, tourism promotion programmes should ideally be conducted in villages to sensitise locals towards white-skinned tourists. As Sri Lankans, we all felt ashamed to see this man behaving in such a disgusting manner. So rather than continuing to be ashamed, it’s high time that the government enforces the law on such individuals to prevent such incidents from repeating in future. 

Asela Perera

Rajagiriya