The ‘flower boys’ who thought out of the box! -EDITORIAL

Sri Lankans are known for their hospitality that’s extended to foreign tourists, but it was just a few days ago that the islanders received global attention regarding how they treat foreigners who visit the place. 

It all happened when a Chinese blogger made a video about a Sri Lanka ‘flower boy’ who was distributing flowers to tourists with no intention of making money out of the whole exercise. Thanks to Sri Lanka, that video went viral. This type of publicity is needed because this is a time when the government badly needs tourists and US Dollars. 

When an investigation was done by The Daily Mirror features desk recently it was revealed that the boy was simply continuing a practice started by an old man named Banda. There is not much talk about the old man being still active, but the practice of giving flowers to tourists has been picked up akin to an infection that spreads. 

Maybe the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) can take a cue from these flower boys. How many programmes do we see being carried out by the SLTDA? Most of them use the traditional bouquets to be given away to tourists. But how many of these ‘giveaways’ went viral and put Sri Lanka on the world map of tourism in comparison to what the flower boys have done? 

When these bouquets are observed one can see that the flowers are meticulously bound. One can see great effort has gone into the product. And above everything else these bouquets carry love in abundance. The word ‘genuine’ is written all over the product. 

This practice will continue for sure. But given that the ‘flower boys’ earned so much attention, could there be unscrupulous elements entering the scene just to grab a piece of the cake? This is where the authorities will have to play the role of the watchdog. Also this practice can be replicated in other hilly areas of the island by people who are not so genuine about promoting tourism, but are more interested in fattening their purses. 

We hear so many disturbing stories from the South related to tourism. There have been videos that have gone viral and tarnished the image of Sri Lanka tourism. Just the other day this writer was browsing the Internet and came across some videos where a tourist was ripped off due to scams operating in the South. There was one video where a tourist is seen visiting an eatery and is charged an absorbent amount for an ulundu wadai.  In another video, a tourist is overcharged by a cobbler who polishes the foreign tourist’s shoes. There have been occasions when the vendor returns the extra money charged back to the tourists upon a series of inquiries. But what’s the use? The damage to Sri Lanka tourism has been done and the South is notorious for this. 

Unlike during past times, tourists visiting this sun-kissed island do their ‘homework’ before setting foot here. They know their way around on this island and know very well if the tuktuk guy overcharges. It’s in this atmosphere that our silly ambitious half-baked vendors try to cheat foreign tourists. This nonsense has to stop. 

There are also videos about Sri Lanka and tourism which the country can be proud of. There have been occasions where the tourists after being charged fairly for products and services have generously given away money as ‘gifts’ to the less affluent vendors. Most such vendors have accepted such gifts. And there is nothing wrong in accepting such money as gifts because ‘being genuine brings rich rewards’. 

The message that the ‘flower boys’ convey is that though Sri Lanka’s top hotels offer the best of food, air-conditioned rooms and breathtaking views they must also think of roping in services where the ‘giver’ accepts nothing in return for giving away something as simple as a flower. As for the Chinese blogger who made the video about the flower boys he was simply bowled over!