Government mulls blocking new hotels in tourism zones as overcapacity nears

„„By Chandeepa Wettasinghe The Sri Lankan government is currently mulling the decision to restrict construction of new hotels in tourism zones which have and will be reaching overcapacity, in order to divert construction into areas which can handle more tourism traffic. “We’re looking at restrict development in some zones. Tourists keep going to the same places because of popularity,” an upper echelon state sector official who is involved in the decision making process told Mirror Business. According to academics, Sri Lanka’s South Coast has already broken the limit in its ability to absorb tourists without harming the region’s environment and culture.

The official said that the government is especially looking at the South Coast, as well as the country’s most popular national park in Yala. Around 35 percent of the country’s 20,000 registered hotel rooms are distributed along the Southern coast. “We’re trying to divert tourism into other regions. There are many other parks with great wildlife, and also heritage areas that don’t have many hotels, like Medirigiriya,” the official added.

However, according to industry sources, around 33 percent of tourists arrive in Sri Lanka for ‘sun, sea, and sand’ activities. Beaches in Negombo, Trincomalee, Passikudah and Arugam Bay are also very popular. The official noted that there are many establishments along the country’s beaches that have been poorly constructed, or have broken regulations and constructed the properties too close to the beach.