Travel

Community based tourism will boost industry

by Lalin Fernandopulle

By promoting community based tourism the local community could be involved in providing services to tourists. The tourists who appreciate the goodwill and hospitality of the locals will contribute to uplift the welfare of the community, member of the National Council for Economic Development (NCED), Hiran Cooray said.

Tourism in Sri Lanka became an organised industry with the introduction of the Tourism Act in 1966. Concepts such as eco-tourism, community based tourism and global tourism came into usage after the 1990s.

Today the tourism industry focuses on providing opportunities to travellers to mingle with the local community and enjoy services offered by people in the locality while contributing to their welfare, Therefore, it is a two way process where the village and tourists benefit by the mutual support extended to each other. There are instances where tourists have funded social welfare projects such as education, health and infrastructure development of rural communities, Cooray said.

The other advantage is that when a hotel is built in a village, there are employment opportunities for the people in the village. The hotel will provide training programs for those who are keen to learn a trade and make a decent living. Such a program will develop the entrepreneurial skills of the rural masses and sustain their livelihood.

Cooray said "For instance tourists enjoy the catamaran rides organised by fishermen in Negombo. If locals do not get involved in such business activities they will resort to underhand activities such as drug dealing, prostitution and paedophile activities.

Therefore, if community based tourism is not properly organised there will be adverse effects. As a result, it is not only the tourism industry that will suffer but also the country at large and the entire travel community, Cooray said.

Sri Lanka Tourist Board Chairman, Udaya Nanayakkara said there should be sustainable tourism to protect the culture, religion, customs and traditions of the local community. There is no point in having big numbers in tourist arrivals if there are no rules and regulations to safeguard the local culture and the natural heritage of a country.

There are countries that have promoted tourism without proper direction. Such countries have lost its cultural beauty, customs and traditions by following western values, Nanayakkara said.

The SLTB is conducting educational and awareness programs for conscientious people to value one's culture and benefit from tourism instead of being influenced by unethical moral values.

President of the tourism cluster (NCED), Lal De Mel said the tourism industry should promote community based tourism since it is beneficial to the local community. The tourism cluster is keen to see that more benefits are reaped by the local community with tourists involved in the community activities.

To achieve this we need to develop the road network, infrastructure facilities, human resource management and entrepreneurial skills. The cooperation of the State and private sector is vital to develop the tourism industry.

St. Andrews bags 35 awards

St. Andrew's Hotel - a Jetwing Hotel won all three top prizes which were awarded for the Flower Garden, Lawns and Fence and Hedges at the annual Nuwara Eliya flower show and competition known as "April Blooms". St. Andrew's bagged four trophies and thirty-one awards.

A spokesman for the hotel said the hotel takes special interest in its landscape. Each seed is initially planted and specially treated at the hotel nursery for 2 1/2 months.

Thereafter they are re-planted into the main garden where they are taken care of. When taking a stroll around the garden, the guests are able to experience a breathtaking aura of the fresh flower fragrance, he said. The Hotel has a wonderful nature trail, which is set along a foot patch that was constructed by the British and leads to a water catchment up on a ridge.

This is provided free to the guests whereby they are accompanied by the resident naturalist. In order to promote tourism, the hotel has launched a program of habitat restoration and habitat creation to produce a sanctuary for wildlife. This includes a Model Wetland Project and a Dragon Fly Reserve.

St. Andrew's Hotel consists of 52 luxurious rooms, which sits 6,182 feet above sea level, cradled amidst the mist-covered mountains. This stately Tudor style colonial mansion which is over 100 years still preserves the charms of the colonial era with its typical "English Hill Country" ambience.

Jetwing Hotels owns and manages 11 other properties in pristine locations from the south to the west and also the hill capital.

They are: Beruwela: Tropical Villas, Wadduwa: The Blue Water, Galle: Lighthouse Hotel and Spa, Yala: Yala Safari Game Lodge (opening 2007), Negombo: The Beach, Ayurveda Pavilions, Blue Oceanic Beach Hotel, Seashells Hotel, Sea Garden Hotel, Kandy: Hunas Falls Hotel, Sigiriya: Vil Uyana (opening 2006).

Air Arabia flies to Jaipur

Connecting the UAE to its third new destination this month, Air Arabia LLC, the first and only low-fares airline in the Middle East and North Africa, made its first flight last week to Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.

Air Arabia's Head of Sales, A. K. Nizar led a delegation of senior officials to Jaipur.

Air Arabia's CEO Adel Ali said, "Jaipur is a unique destination with great potential for tourism and customers across this region can now experience a new holiday destination at great value fares.

We would like to thank the Indian Government and Civil Aviation authorities for their support and cooperation of our expansion into India and hope to add more destinations in India to offer more travel opportunities between our two countries."

Air Arabia's Sri Lanka Country Head, Mayank Dhingra said, "Air Arabia is the first international airline to fly to Jaipur from the Middle East.