Re: Un-fair Tourism

[yellow knifeTop contributor]

Yeah... There is a tall tree called Hal.. Its fruit is grated and put into a clothe bag.. ( pottaniya) and those old days we tie this bag to a running water stream ( wakkada)... running water remove the odd taste ( kahata) .. then we take after subject to running water for a full night and make sweets...

Do you know how we grate the hal fruit.. We nail a lid of a tin and grate it.

What a lovely time we had

[HAL9000Top contributor]

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Important tips for a visitor to SL
Good impression on Sri Lankan people and Sri Lankan food.

[කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor]

For the sixth year in a row, Hong Kong is the most visited city in the world attracting nearly 28 million visitors in 2014, according to Euromonitor International.

London was a distant second with 17 million visitors -- 10 million fewer than the leader.

Singapore keeps its place in 3rd, despite a slight decline in visitor numbers. The report attributes this to falling visitors from key markets, such as China and Indonesia. However, with strong government focus on tourism and the expansion of Singapore Airlines, opportunities and strengths remain.

Read more

[කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor]

Of the world’s international travellers, Chinese tourists spent the most money abroad last year, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

They spent a record $165 billion abroad in 2014, an increase of 27% since 2013, putting them well ahead of countries such as the US and Germany.

Read more

[කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor]

Spain leads the World Economic Forum’s 2015 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index. It is the first time the country has ranked top of the biennial report – published under the theme Growing through Shocks – and is a positive sign for the country’s nascent recovery.

The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 ranks 141 countries across 14 separate dimensions, revealing how well countries could deliver sustainable economic and societal benefits through their travel and tourism sector.

Spain’s leadership position is helped by a world class ranking in cultural resources (1st globally), its ability to support online searches for entertainment (4th) – a measure of how well the country has adapted to consumption habits brought on by the digital revolution – as well as excellent infrastructure (4th).

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[කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor]

[HAL9000Top contributor]

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Above article explains why a traveller must visit Sri Lanka

[yellow knifeTop contributor]

Thanx...

So the foreigners love our food taste and still we are a very friendly nation.

[Hybrid]

But the irony of it all is that Sri Lankans generally will sell their own people to travel abroad!

What is it that they have and we do not?

[කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor]

Travel is an increasingly important driver of global economic growth. International tourism has grown faster than global GDP for the past several years, and is expected to continue on a positive trajectory.

With international tourist arrivals now approaching 1.2 billion, the global electronic payments ecosystem has an increasingly critical role to play in providing individual travellers with secure, frictionless and efficient data-driven solutions. By reducing reliance on cash and enabling transactions in local currency, global networks remove pain points for travellers and increase their security.

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[HAL9000Top contributor]

We have seen foreigners are charged some extremely high entrance fees for certain places, sometimes discouraging them to visit those sites.
On the other hand there are no basic sanitary facilities available in most of the places, despite high entrance fees. I think now it's high time to address these issues if we plant to go further in tourism. There is a tourism development tax/cess for years now eh ? Some of the money should divert to these areas.

Some bloggers recognize train trip to Kandy to Ella is the most beautiful train trip in the world, but can we satisfy with the basic facilities of railway stations, cleanliness of trains and stations ? Now a days we have to take a shower after travel in a Sri Lankan train to clean our self. Mind you we are a nation who built magnificent Air Ports, Sea Ports, High Ways etc. The so called massive development ?

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[HAL9000Top contributor]

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[HAL9000Top contributor]

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India and China on a race as the top tourism source market for us. The good thing about the dominance of these countries is, there will be a minimum season/off season variation of arrivals in the future , because these countries do not get a winter season as Western countries .

[roshana7549]

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India and China on a race as the top tourism source market for us. The good thing about the dominance of these countries is, there will  be a minimum season/off season  variation of arrivals  in the future , because these countries do not get a winter season as Western countries .

Very true, Specially Chinese tourist prefer to travel in so called Off season from May to November with the special offers provided in this period.....

[HAL9000Top contributor]

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Another review published in an Australian website. Many Australians visit south east Asian countries, especially Bali. Sri Lanka is a bit long haul for them. We need to offer extra bit of good things to attract them here ! Here's the impression we got.

[කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor]

We still do not know how to promote this land.
Wrong people in such places still.  

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Another review published in an Australian website. Many Australians visit south east Asian countries,  especially Bali. Sri Lanka is a bit long haul for them. We need to offer extra bit of good things to attract them here ! Here's the impression we got.

[HAL9000Top contributor]

We still do not know how to promote this land.
Wrong people in such places still.  

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Another review published in an Australian website. Many Australians visit south east Asian countries,  especially Bali. Sri Lanka is a bit long haul for them. We need to offer extra bit of good things to attract them here ! Here's the impression we got.

Yes, even some minor issues are not addressed. For example, If you go to Cultural Triangle, you will find out that how poor the sanitary fasilities for the visitors.

[කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor]

Yes.
It is a collective effort.
We have to convince them to come here first through proper promotions.
Then airlines, tour operators have to fit in.
Three wheelers, Cops, etc too have to be on the same page, if we want to have the benefits for long time.
Otherwise, one visit and it will be over.
Sort of loyalty programme has to be created.

We still do not know how to promote this land.
Wrong people in such places still.  

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Another review published in an Australian website. Many Australians visit south east Asian countries,  especially Bali. Sri Lanka is a bit long haul for them. We need to offer extra bit of good things to attract them here ! Here's the impression we got.

Yes, even some minor issues are not addressed. For example,  If you go to Cultural Triangle, you will find out that how poor the sanitary fasilities for the visitors.

[Gaudente]

What is it that they have and we do not?

toilettes

[කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor]

Need to " Add Value"  is something still not sunk in to our minds.
I have been to Blow hole in the South as well as a few others in other parts of the world.
Viewing galleries and safety railings, good paved roads, amply parking, kiosk etc are part and part of the attraction.
But not here sadly.

What is it that they have and we do not?

toilettes

[Lalinda]

Really true Keith.

[yellow knifeTop contributor]

Today there is a very good article in Daily Mirror on tourism.

1. The Officers of Tourist Board do not provide information saying they are asked by authorities not to reveal information. That bureaucracy is not something new to SL Tourist authorities.

2. Sri Lanka is moving towards Budget Destination.

3. Room Occupancy rate 75%
    length of stay is 9 days

Star class hotels accommodated 1.06 Million tourists and supplementary accommodation sector catered to 585,934 in 2015. This supplementary sector is growing.

[HAL9000Top contributor]

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SL Again on National Geographic lime light

[කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor]

Airbus sunk for divers in Turkey's touristic Kuşadası

See Photos.

How about dumping a few Sri Lankan too ?

[HAL9000Top contributor]

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All time high arrivals recored in July. Coming colors so good.