Jetwing boss calls for sustainable model to preserve tourist attractions before visitors return in numbers

Sri Lankan authorities were urged to devise a sustainable and practical model for operating hundreds of tourist sites before they start decaying and being inflicted with permanent damage, losing their natural or archaeological value, prior to visitors start returning in numbers as the pandemic dissipates and borders reopen.

Millions of visitors, both local and foreign, are attracted to hundreds of sites of natural and man-made wonders in Sri Lanka but mostly scant regard is being given to their preservation.  
Hence, Hiran Cooray, a seasoned hotelier and a tourism sector spokesperson, called the local authorities to come up with a practical model for operating these sites, before they lose their value and appeal, during this interim period prior to visitors return in numbers.

People around the world remain impatient to visit places after being in lockdown for nearly three months while the local visitors have already begun to take trips since the reopening of resorts from June, under health guidelines. 

Weekend trippers have helped certain resort chain operators to reach up to 70 percent of occupancy, reports say. 

Cooray, Chairman of Jetwing Symphony PLC, the holding company of the popular Jetwing branded hotels, noted that the country has “failed to give these monuments the love and care they deserve”. 

“The relevant authorities must utilise this time to prepare a practical model of operating these sites, once the tourist arrivals return to the expected numbers. If these are not looked into, there will continue to be negative publicity and permanent damages to natural assets like the Yala national park and man-made cultural sites like Sigiriya,” Cooray stated in his message to the shareholders in Jetwing Symphony’s latest annual report released recently. 

Jetwing Symphony’s Jetwing Yala and Jetwing Lake in Dambulla are located in close proximity to the Yala national park and Sigiriya rock fortress, two of the most visited sites by tourists.
Overtourism is a global issue, where a flood of visitors to a particular site at the same time causes irreparable damage to certain popular sites in the world, which creates a strain on its infrastructure and finally leads to the loss of its tourism appeal. A good example of this phenomenon is Venice in Italy.

The two sites cited by Cooray were often in the news in recent times—Yala for being overcrowded and Sigiriya for being unable to provide even the basic facilities required for the visitors, despite charging them with a hefty entrance fee, particularly for foreigners.