The High Stakes of Unchecked Tourism
Tourism in Sri Lanka faces a paradox: it depends on natural resources while also threatening their sustainability due to rapid and unregulated development. In the wake of multiple crises since 2019, such as the Easter bombings, pandemic and economic crisis, tourism is expected to play a key role in the country’s economic recovery. However, for long-term sustainability, tourism must balance the use, preservation, and regeneration of natural resources.
The latest report, “Spotting the Problem: Understanding Complexities in Tourism and Nature at Yala National Park,” by Center for Smart Future examines how local stakeholders perceive the interaction between tourism and nature. Using Yala National Park (YNP) Block 1 as a case study, it analyzes the problems of overcrowding and safari misbehavior and highlights how the surge in tourism has led to congested conditions and unethical practices among safari operators, notably the aggressive pursuit of leopard sightings. These issues are exacerbated by a lack of coordinated management and enforcement, resulting in sporadic and reactive reform efforts.
The report explores how moving beyond a linear conceptualisation of tourism may help reimagine familiar problems and unlock creative solutions, offering the following insights:
- Diverse Stakeholder Impact: A multitude of stakeholders, both direct and indirect, influence the challenges of overcrowding and misbehavior. Effective solutions necessitate collaboration among all involved parties including government, accommodation providers, jeep drivers etc.
- Influence of Jeep Drivers: Interactions among stakeholders can alter the incentives and power dynamics for jeep drivers, leading to varied behaviors within this group.
- Feedback Loops: Interventions like driver training programs may encounter negative feedback mechanisms, such as the pursuit of tips and commissions, which can undermine their effectiveness.
- External Factors: Developments like the Southern Expressway and improved road networks have exacerbated overcrowding by increasing accessibility to YNP.
- Challenges with Regulations: While robust regulations and their enforcement is critical, YNP is deeply politicised, and its actors display consistent adaptation to such political interferences. In such a context, repeated regulation alone may not be adequate to solve issues and non-regulatory interventions such as price incentives, marketing strategies, training and awareness building should be utilised.
- Policy must be adapted and updated regularly to reflect the changing demands of tourism and ecology in the parks.
The report highlights the necessity of adopting a holistic approach that considers the complex interplay of various factors and stakeholders. It advocates for collaborative efforts among public and private entities to develop sustainable tourism practices that preserve YNP’s ecological integrity while supporting economic growth.
For a comprehensive understanding, view the full report by the Centre for a Smart Future.
