I've been writing for a long time, and my heart can't be still, but a voice in the depths is constantly reminding me that I must continue to write, especially this one about Sri Lanka, a beautiful country I have been to many times. Recently, I had the desire to start writing, and I came here again after more than six years. This trip is nostalgic and revisiting, but also looking for new discoveries.
Sri Lanka is an island country in the Indian Ocean, located in South Asia, facing India by the sea, with a total population of 22 million. Some people say that she is like a pearl in the Indian Ocean, but others say that she is a tear in the Indian Ocean, which sounds slightly bleak, but to a certain extent, reflects the sad history of the country.
Far from the country's arduous history of independence from British colonial rule in 1948 and the establishment of the State of Ceylon, or the brutal 26-year civil war between the Sri Lankan armed forces and the Tamil Liberation Tigers that began in 1983, Sri Lanka has plunged Sri Lanka into an unprecedented economic crisis and political turmoil due to inflation, commodity shortages, high external debt, and three years of the pandemic. If this pearl of the Indian Ocean wants to be brilliant, it can only be a sad tear for the time being!
On November 25, 2023, I returned to the country I always wanted to see again, and it took me two weeks to go from the northernmost to the southernmost place. I saw recovery, vitality and hope, and the smile that had been carved on every Ceylonese was back. The smile is simple and bright, it can break through all the difficulties in front of us and let Sri Lanka move towards a hopeful tomorrow!
Jaffna Castle
The ups and downs of tourism
Sri Lanka's tourism industry is also poignant, with a long history of ups and downs. To describe the development of a certain country can be said to be either advance or retreat, but to describe Sri Lanka's tourism is to take two steps back.
Once upon a time, it was the birthplace of international tourism, the pioneer of South Asian tourism, and the birthplace of smiling hospitality. Back in 1967, when the Maldives had not yet explored the tourist route, Sri Lanka had welcomed 23,666 international tourists. By 1982, there were 407,230 inbound tourists.
Unfortunately, the civil war for independence began in 1983, and the number of international tourists plummeted, falling to 184,732 in 1989. Despite this, Sri Lanka's international tourism is concentrated in the central and western and southern coasts, not in a zone of direct conflict, and has been developing slowly for more than 20 years, receiving 560,000 international tourists in 2004.
The war finally ended in May 2009. As a result, international tourism recovered rapidly, soaring to more than 650,000 in 2010. In the decade since, it has grown to 2.3 million international tourists by 2018, according to the World Bank. This is one of the highlights of Sri Lanka's tourism history.
However, a decade of good times came to an end with the Easter chain explosion in April 2019. The terrorist attack began on April 21 and took place in five cities in Sri Lanka. This was followed by a number of explosions that killed some 253 people. Sri Lanka's international tourism sector has suffered another major setback, particularly affecting the two major tourist destinations of Colombo and Negonbo. In 2019, the number of international tourists dropped to 1.9 million.
Since March 2020, Sri Lanka, like other countries in the world, has been affected by the full impact of the new crown epidemic, and there have been basically no international tourists for three years. What is even more sad is that at the beginning of 2022, when other tourist destinations in Europe and Asia were gradually recovering, the country was in a situation of bankruptcy due to the shortage of fuel, food and medicine caused by factors such as high external debt, currency depreciation and high inflation. In such a situation, it is naturally impossible to talk about the recovery and revitalization of international tourism.
Rich historical and cultural resources
Sri Lanka has a long history and an ancient civilization, with the Sinhalese people building magnificent cities, pagodas and irrigation systems as early as BC. Similarly, Sri Lankan culture such as sculpture, painting, music and dance has left a rich mark on world civilization. During this trip, I had the opportunity to visit the cultural delta of Sri Lanka except Kandy City, visited a number of world cultural heritage sites and historical and cultural attractions, and experienced the rich historical and cultural resources of this beautiful country.
Anuradhapura, the original ancient capital, with its many pagodas and royal palace ruins, reminds me of Cambodia's Angkor Wat, which was rediscovered after years of dormancy and is now a place of pilgrimage and excursion. In this ancient city, the famous Bodhi tree, despite 2,000 years of wind and rain, is still flourishing. The second ancient capital of Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa, has preserved the ruins of many Buddhist temples and palaces, as well as the three megalithic Buddha statues, which show the exquisite carving art of the ancient Sinhalese people.
Ruins of the ancient city of Anuradhapura
Mihintale is a mountain peak near Anuradapura. Sri Lankans believe that Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka as the site of the meeting between Mahinda, the eldest son of Emperor Ashoka and King Devanampiya Tissa of Sri Lanka. The cradle of Buddhist civilization is now a must-visit pilgrimage site for believers. Accompanied by an old friend, I walked up the mountain road and reached the mountainside, where the majestic White Pagoda was in front of me, and there were several religious buildings and monuments in the mountains, which was a good place to learn about the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. From the hill, you can also overlook the ancient city of Anuradhapura, which is located in the distance. Unfortunately, there are not many international tourists, especially from Southeast Asia.
I also saw the breathtaking Dambulla Cave Temple, a massive cave temple located in a megalithic hill in the humble town of Dambulla in central Sri Lanka. The temple, which is also a World Heritage Site, is divided into five separate caves and was built in the 1st century BC and is one of Sri Lanka's great works of religious art. In the cave, you can enjoy exquisite seated, standing and reclining Buddhas, and there are also well-preserved precious murals that tell vivid Buddhist stories.
Dambulla Cave Temple
I revisited Siglia. The ancient capital of Siglia, built around the stone mountain palace on the Lion Rock, is the perfect embodiment of the ancient Sinhalese architecture with its symmetrical layout, reasonable design, and complete water supply facilities. The 1,400-year-old frescoes preserved on the mountainside of the Stone Mountain are a precious heritage of Sri Lankan painting, along with the murals of Polonnaruwa and Kandyan paintings.
Siglia
Although I didn't go this time, the ancient city of Kandy is the third and last capital of Sri Lanka, where the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy, Kandy Lake, colonial buildings and the nearby Peradenia Botanical Gardens are a must-see for tourists, and are the first choice for almost all tourists.
In short, Sri Lanka is a vast land that has nurtured a wealth of historical, cultural and natural resources.
The beginning of a new era
Since Ranil Wickremesinghe took office in July 2022, the government has taken a number of measures to deal with the crisis, giving Sri Lanka a respite. When I came here at the end of '23, it didn't seem to have happened in the first year of the bizarre phenomenon of long queues at gas stations and lack of food and medicine! Although it was not a prosperous scene, at least the people had resumed their daily work and life, and there were no longer demonstrations and protests on the streets. I lamented how resilient a country it is, despite such a difficult and tortuous road, not only has it not been defeated, but it has continued to restart the road of economic and tourism recovery with its tired shoulders.
During this trip, a friend invited me to attend the annual dinner of the Sri Lanka Hotel Association, and it was only natural that many people in the industry attended, and the president actually came, which is said to be unprecedented. At the age of seventy, he has been prime minister for several rounds, and he is the first to talk about tourism. What is even more impressive is that the Minister of Tourism and Sports, whether it is talking about tourism recovery or involving the structural restructuring of high-end tourism, basically to the point. The minister, Harlem Fernando, is only 45 years old and has changed the image of Sri Lanka's old people in power.
The government is now eyeing high-end seaside resorts such as the Maldives and the Seychelles, hoping that the product will be on par with them and move beyond the image of Sri Lanka as a low-end tourist destination for many years. The government is also aware of its distance from other Asian countries, and the president asks why Sri Lanka can't jump to 2.5 million a year when Vietnam can host so many international tourists. This reminds me of the 1993 World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) National Tourism Master Plan for Sri Lanka, when our experts proposed an annual target of 800,000 inbound tourists, and the senior Cabinet Minister in charge of tourism, Mr. S. Thondaman, asked why it could not be doubled.
Tourism in the Maldives has long overtaken Sri Lanka as a latecomer, but it has taken so long for policymakers to admit it. In fact, for many years, Sri Lanka's infrastructure has only been able to cater to the mass tourist or the European tourist who wants to take the trouble to see its history and culture. Fortunately, transportation in Sri Lanka has changed a lot in recent years. First of all, the construction of roads throughout the island has been greatly improved, and several closed highways connecting the main arteries have been completed and opened to traffic. For some reason, the speed limit is 100 kilometers per square meter on such a brand-new highway, and at the same time, once you get back to the off-highway roads, those small roads still have to make way for dogs and cows! Water sports and souvenir shops for tourists have also been largely restored. It's a pity that I didn't go to Bentota this time, which is also a must-visit for tourists. In short, with the basic improvement of road facilities and accommodation conditions, it is possible to change the overall image of tourist destinations and adjust the structure of the source market.
In the past two weeks, according to my observations and some information from friends, Sri Lanka's tourism recovery has begun to bear fruit after more than a year of hard work, and the current market recovery should be around 60-70%. By the end of 2023, the government believes that it can reach 1.5 million inbound tourists, which would be 79% of the pre-pandemic level. However, my supervisor said that the target of 1.7 million could be completed, and his reason was that the government did not include the data of Sri Lankan expatriates returning to their home countries. It is hoped that this outcome in 2023 will start the road to tourism revitalization in Sri Lanka.
Take the road of product diversification
It takes a long time to form and change the image of a tourist destination, and Sri Lanka is no exception.
Sri Lanka's market recovery is a top priority to "wait for the rice to get off the pot", hoping that more traditional tourism source markets will return here, such as European and Chinese tourists, and prematurely emphasizing that taking the high-end market road will not solve the much-needed livelihood problems.
In the medium and long term, the market structure of Sri Lanka can be adjusted, but there is no need to compete with the Maldives and Seychelles, which have different resources and products. There is also no need to adhere to the "high-value and low-impact" development model, as Bhutan's tourism policy does, because the population base is different, and the reference indicators of the destination's tourism carrying capacity are different.
It is interesting that after 50 years of tourism development in the Maldives, on the basis of success to sum up the lessons learned, deeply realize that the development model of "one island and one hotel" has too narrow a scope of benefits for people's livelihood, and the government has advocated the construction of hotels on the island with residents more than 10 years ago, so that the dividends of tourism can be directly delivered to the doorstep, on the one hand, it will drive other economic activities, and also solve the problem of nearby employment for employees. This is a sustainable development policy in the true sense, finding a balance between the development of tourism from the perspective of economy, society and environment, rather than blindly emphasizing high-end and extremely high-end products. Therefore, there is no need for Sri Lanka to abandon low- and mid-range products, and it can make a fuss about added value.
Sri Lanka is a tourist destination with diversified resources, and it is necessary to increase the in-depth cultivation of resource conversion products on the basis of the basic recovery of the tourism industry. There are many cultural festivals here, and how to attract tourists can be modeled after the practice of many countries, and the promotion is made into a brochure by month. The historical and cultural attractions here are wonderful and magnificent, but there is no tourist economy worth mentioning around the attractions. The entire eastern and southeastern coasts are home to large stretches of beach that can be developed for good seaside recreation and seaside vacations. The endless tea mountains in the middle of the country are already one of the must-have routes for European guests, but there is a lot to be done on how to turn sightseeing into leisure with the theme of tea culture. Sri Lanka is also home to a number of national parks, and I was thrilled to see elephants, peacocks and other wildlife on a jeep.
Herds of wild elephants in national parks
The capital, Colombo, is not only a hub for tourists, but also a great place to stay. Colonial houses, churches and modern buildings are a mix of beautiful buildings, and the roads are lined with towering trees. And many Buddhist and Hindu temples leave a distinct exotic atmosphere for tourists. Not to mention, from the perspective of product development, MICE exhibitions, business events, sports events, food, festivals, etc. can all be entry points and breakthroughs.
Street view of the capital city of Colombo
Left: The capital city of Colombo Buddhist Temple
Right: Sri Lankan mask
As I neared the end of my two-week trip, I had mixed feelings, as I saw recovery and hope, but also saw the hardships of destination tourism development, and the challenges of reaching the mature tourist destination that the government expects. First of all, after more than three years of suspension, all kinds of tourist facilities have shown obvious aging, and the sanitary environment needs to be improved. In the past four years, most tourism companies have not even been able to pay salaries, and it is difficult to come up with funds to renovate and renovate hardware facilities in the early stage of recovery.
However, a small example gave me encouragement. I stayed at Jetwing Hotels, a family-owned company that has been at the helm of the group Hiran for many years. During the epidemic, although there was no international customer, a high sense of social responsibility drove him to share hardships and hardships with his employees, and nearly 4,000 employees did not fire any of them. It is this kind of care that allows employees to embrace the returning tourists with gratitude.
The people of Sri Lanka are friendly, whether it is the front desk of the hotel, or the waiter of the restaurant, everywhere people feel at home, this sincere friendliness will definitely overcome all the current difficulties, so that Sri Lanka will have a bright tomorrow!
Source: Xu Jing talks about tourism development
First trial: Rao Juan
Second trial: Wu Dan
Third trial: Zhang Yijing