Written and published in the FT in my ‘Out of the Box’ column in January 2010,
after a few months of the ending of the war on terror, this was the first in
the series. I repost it today, without any further comment.
Fresh out of the war on terror, tourism is banked on to dish-out fast
returns. The current elections have some what dampened the fast-forward talk.
But it is sure to gather up speed again immediately the verdict is done with
and the dust settles. Short of insanity, we should see a somewhat stable
structure of governance in place, without any major overhaul. The bickering
will go on, with a strike here and a strike there, but in the main, things
should turn out to be better for this lovely island destination’s people, their
economy and tourism operations.
The dividends peace offers tourism is amazing. It is indeed a fast forex
generator and gives fast ROIs. Get it right, it will be a long-term goldmine
for this blessed land of ours. Get it wrong, it can turn out to be a nightmare
and her serendipity done with forever. It is much like the goose that lays the
golden eggs. Kill it for meat, its all gone in an instance.
There is talk of 5,000 room hotel complexes and mega thinking is on the
drawing boards with our development planners. With more and more head counts of
tourists, more and more brick and mortar hotel rooms are thought of. It is ok
if all this is done in the Kalpitiya area, where the tourism authorities have
acquired over 4,000 acres. Like a wise old man I knew in tourism once said, “If
a destination wants to have mass-tourism, don’t do it everywhere, and only do
it in one or two resort areas”. With sea level rises, areas around Kalpitiya
will anyway be submerged within the century. That is according to predictions
of climate scientists. We have all heard loud and clear what the Maldivian
President expects for his lovely island nation of atolls. He pronounced that he
is looking for liveable land elsewhere.
Kalpitiya is pristine, it is lovely and it gives us a window of
opportunity for at least fifty years. That is before it may begin to show signs
of submerging. What we must do is to think of gaining fast returns from this
area. The Sixth Senses group already has plans laid out for an eco-resort. That
is fine, but in my mind, it should be for the fourteen islets there and its
surrounds. The rest will make a good gaming centre with all needed auxiliary
facilities, much like Genting Highlands or Macau. That gives huge and rapid
returns and can be contained to serve millions of mass tourists that should not
be roaming around everywhere else in the country.
Why I say this is because there is talk about resorts and hotels
everywhere. The East and the North is talked about. Mega investments are called
for. Land grabs are going on. To me, what my Motherland Sri Lanka is about is
her serendipity, her ecological and cultural diversity, her lush green canopy,
her meditative splendour and our laid-back lotus-eater ways. And that I believe
is also our USP for tourism. In my mind, if we were to seek every beautiful and
serene area of this country and were to build a resort or a hotel in that
space, that would be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Remember, terrorism is not the only deterrent to tourism. Pandemics,
regional conflicts, natural disasters, civil disorder and the like can also
render mega tourism accommodation projects turn blue.
It is now time that we thought of ‘out of the box’ ways for providing
tourism accommodation.
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