Sri Lanka: Tourism - the road to ruin or repair?

Sri Lanka: Tourism - the road to ruin or repair?
Sri Lanka has been ravaged by civil war for over two decades, but despite this, it has become a popular tourist destination. Could the recent end to the war bring new possibilities for tourism development and much needed benefits to the people there?

PEACE (Protecting Environment And Children Everywhere), one Sri Lankan organization, feels that sustainable tourism could be a tool for change and one that could begin to rebuild this war ravaged country and economy.

Beacon, a UK-based human rights organization formed to challenge the human rights abuses taking place in Sri Lanka and demanding greater freedom of expression for all Sri Lanka’s peoples, takes a different stand.

Maureen Seneviratne of PEACE

Tourism is a key revenue source for Sri Lanka. The war caused a shortfall of jobs in the sector, which was a blow to the economy, as unemployment and poverty are rife. Parents have been driven by poverty to overlook crime and abuse against their children by tourists. In this post-war era, well managed and sustainable tourism is key to enable change and development. Tourism needs to be strictly regulated, as when there are too many visitors, there is a huge risk to both human and natural environments.

Sri Moorthy of Beacon

‘A small miracle’ is the new brand name that was unveiled in the June 2009 re-launch of sri lanka as a tourism destination for western visitors.

This strapline captures the essence of this beautiful island in the Indian Ocean, famed for its unspoilt beaches, wildlife sanctuaries and mist-shrouded hills. Sadly, once you pierce the PR veil devised by expensive marketing strategists, you find something quite sinister.

The 25-year-long civil war between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam started after decades of systematic discrimination by the Sri Lankan Government against the nation’s ethnic-minority Tamils. Asia’s longest war in recent times came to a bloody end this May, but many questions remain unanswered as to what happened during the last stages of the war, due to the Government imposed media blackout. The UN reported that more than 7,000 civilians, of whom at least 1,000 were children, were killed. An independent and credible investigation into the alleged atrocities committed by the warring parties is urgently needed, but this has been vehemently resisted by the Sri Lankan Government and is unlikely to materialise without intervention from the international community.

For the Sri Lankan Government, revenues generated from tourism will be pivotal in rebuilding its post-war economy. Two months since the end of the war, the PR machines continue to grind out new strategies to promote tourism in Sri Lanka, whilst over 280,000 innocent ethnic-minority Tamil civilians are still being held in camps under the control of the Government’s armed forces. The Government asserts that the detention of these civilians is an anti-insurgency measure. However, no specific charges have been made against them and they continue to be held in the most appalling conditions.

Despite this grave violation of human rights and its insistence on keeping out the world’s media, politicians and human rights observers, the Sri Lankan Government is happy to open its doors to tourists and their wallets.

Perhaps the ‘small miracle’ is the ongoing detention of innocent civilians by the Sri Lankan Government on a massive scale, under the gaze of the international community, whilst their homelands in the north and east of Sri Lanka are being ear-marked for new tourist developments. Until these people are resettled and allowed to rebuild their lives, the discerning traveller might want to consider nearby alternative destinations where governments do not hold citizens behind barbed wire and under military guard.

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