Government urged to build confidence to prevent flight of local tourism industry talent

By Shabiya Ali Ahlam
As Sri Lanka tourism strives to recover from the triple whammy since 2019, industry veteran Hiran Cooray stressed the need for the government to step up its efforts in providing confidence for the sector to move forward.

Cooray said one of the emerging and pressing issues faced by the sector is the flight of local talent to other tourism-focused markets such as the Maldives and the Middle East. 

He stressed that proactive efforts are mandatory in this regard for the local tourism sector to revive and grow going forward.

“…they (government) need to give the confidence back to the people that they are committed to tourism. A lot of Sri Lankans are leaving the country because the government is not focused on us,” Cooray said. 

“When that happens, we lose people. The youth that are likely to join tourism will go somewhere else. The island of hospitality loses the people who provide that hospitality. So, that is a problem for us at the moment,” he added.
Cooray made these comments addressing the 55th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) this week, which featured a virtual session on ‘Reimaging Tourism: Coming Back from the Brink’.

When questioned if the government should play a role in assisting tourism, Cooray noted that while a part should most certainly be taken up, it is more important to consider how it should be taken up.

“The Maldives took such proactive action, as against the most negative action the Sri Lankan government took when the crisis unfolded,” said Cooray in response.

“If you ask the Sri Lankans should the government play a role, 90 percent will say no. The answer is no because it is a bad call,” he quipped.

However, he did acknowledge and appreciate the support given by extending moratoria for loan repayments, which was essential for tourism sector businesses to stay afloat.

For government efforts to work, Cooray asserted that it is imperative to understand that the Tourism Ministry alone cannot carry the burden. 

Instead, line agencies and other ministries such as aviation, finance, transportation, and defence must come on board to collaborate and cooperate to iron out issues faced so that the industry can improve its contribution to economy.