What innovations would enable tourism in Sri Lanka to re-build?

Abstract

PurposeThe goal of this paper is to narrate about tourism in Sri Lanka in the context of the current pandemic and other challenges and identify innovative solutions to rebuild tourism.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative study was undertaken by employing mainly secondary data sources.FindingsSince the 26-year long civil war in Sri Lanka ended in 2009, tourism grew to unprecedented levels over the next ten years. Sri Lanka had formulated strategies to attract six million tourists and US$ 10 billion earnings by 2025. Tourism had been the third highest foreign exchange earner of the country representing over 5% of GDP, around 500,000 employees. The 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks that killed 269 people severely affected tourism. Within a year of the attacks, the global COVID-19 pandemic further impacted tourism further. The current war in Europe added to the problems of Sri Lanka, which in 2022 plunged to its worse economic and political crisis. The protesters against the political corruption and fiscal mismanagement demanded the resignation of the President, Prime Minister and the Cabinet. In spite of these major challenges, this paper attempts to bring some optimism about the future potential of tourism in Sri Lanka.Originality/valueThis paper suggests 12 key measures and 9 suggestions for innovation to rebuild tourism in Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2030.

Leading for Resilience: Fostering Employee and Organizational Resilience in Tourism Firms

“…While the tourism businesses in this study showed both employee and organizational resilience to some extent, partly because data were collected in the early stages of the pandemic, more recent studies have highlighted that employee layoffs have weakened the resilience of the entire sector (Jayawardena, 2022; Karunarathne et al, 2021). However, government and financial institutions in Sri Lanka have not only financially supported the tourism sector but have also deployed short- and long-term strategies for tourism recovery.…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has severely constrained the tourism industry in Sri Lanka (Roshana et al, 2020; United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], 2021). Travel restrictions, the closure of international airports, compulsory COVID-19 testing, the closure of hotels and travel agencies, and the negative attitude of the general public toward foreign visitors have all contributed to the poor performance of the Sri Lankan tourism industry (Jayawardena, 2022). The resilience of the entire industry has been weakened by financial difficulties resulting from the inability to make loan repayments or lease installments and the cessation of private investments in tourism.…”

“…The resilience of the entire industry has been weakened by financial difficulties resulting from the inability to make loan repayments or lease installments and the cessation of private investments in tourism. Tourism sector employees and freelance workers have also lost their livelihoods (Jayawardena, 2022; Karunarathne et al, 2021; UNDP, 2021). The Sri Lankan government has implemented strategies to rebuild the resilience of the tourism sector, including extending the moratorium on debt payments, expanding financial facilities, providing financial assistance to employees and relief to hotels to help with electricity and lease payments, and introducing insurance schemes for tourism firms (Jayawardena, 2022).…”

Looking at the tourism industry through the lenses of industry 4.0: a bibliometric review of concerns and challenges

“…Some changes are taking place quickly and shaping a new tourism and hospitality industry paradigm that highlights the need for a re-envision future (Jayawardena, 2022). In this vein, some new paths seem interesting to explore from a theoretical perspective.…”

“…Curiously, one of the biggest threats can be a huge opportunity to transform the sector, introducing innovation in products and services, processes and practices, and redefining business models that contribute to increasing productivity, profitability and competitiveness (Tang et al, 2019). Some changes are taking place quickly and shaping a new tourism and hospitality industry paradigm that highlights the need for a re-envision future (Jayawardena, 2022). In this vein, some new paths seem interesting to explore from a theoretical perspective.…”