A call for a purpose - driven and sustainable form of tourism
“Purposeful travel helps us change the way we see the world”
A topic that keeps popping up is purposeful travel. Purposeful travel is not the same as being dispassionately asked by that stone-faced border control guard; “what is the purpose of your visit?” The question been thrown at you at the gateway to your destination after receiving your tourist visa (having filled up a multi-paged application form) and enduring a 14-hour flight, once having decided to travel.
Yes, when one decides to take a trip to a destination, it requires purposeful planning and the saving of both funds and leave from work-time. Purposeful in this regard to mean mindful planning if one is to eventually embark on that trip.
As a baby boomer, I recall during my younger days, most people, planned to wait for retirement to do some serious travel. Others, if they did go on vacation considered it a reward for working. Unfortunately, many of them never got to read Mark Twain’s quote: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do”. Applied to travel - absolutely true, because travel is an education for living.
The search for fun, adventure, shopping, food and drinking has kept the majority of those who have the money on the move, traveling to different countries for a whole lot of pleasurable activities. Unfortunately, many of these people don’t give a thought to the negative impact they could create - to the preservation of natural environments and cultural heritage as well as to the local community.
Overtourism, which became a buzzword in 2024, is one such outcome and it is not just a big city issue. The strong recovery in travel volumes and spending from the pandemic has been largely welcomed, but it has led to some tourism-hot spots seeing a disproportionately larger share of tourists which has once again raised the issue of overtourism. Its impact cannot be undone by merely changing the infrastructure in terms of more transportation, more water resources, and more waste management.
Ella sits elevated in Sri Lanka’s hill country. Until recently, it was nothing more than a train station along one of the world’s most scenic rail lines. Lonely Planet describes it as “Everyone’s favourite hill-country village.”Josh Stevens claimed “there are probably more bars, restaurants and white people in Ella’s half-kilometer epicentre than there are in the rest of Sri Lanka combined. According to him, as the first influx of tourists flocked in, “the locals got into the act, turning their backyard plots into guesthouses and selling their roadside properties to restaurateurs. Today, every building in Ella seems to be adding a second story or building a front patio and now Ella amounts to 30 restaurants connected by a traffic jam”. This was in an article he wrote after visiting Ella at the height of the season in February 2018. Can you imagine how it is now? Ella is no longer that quaint village and it is totally different to what it was a decade or two ago!
Tourist boards have long believed that more is better, where a “successful” year in tourism is generally considered to be one in which numbers have increased substantially over that achieved in the previous year(s). In Ella’s case, more and more numbers can turn into a disaster. What was once a remote and idyllic spot where one can trek various trails, take a deep cleansing breath, whilst watching in awe the majestic peaks above and valleys below, has now turned into an ugly congested backpacker town where tourists gather to have drinks and engage in all- day partying. Soon Ella may like lose its soul.
As a tourist you may want to take that scenic train ride; then you have no choice but to visit Ella. However, consider purposeful travel (i.e., travelling as a responsible tourist) as a means of making a positive impact. For instance, plan to take that rail trip and visit Ella outside of peak season. It can be more pleasant for you, less stressful for the residents, and reduces the pressure on public transport. It will also give you a greater connection with local people and ways of life; a far more authentic holiday experience …and save yourself quite a bit of money too.
Bottomline; Travellers to plan their adventures for the off-season, live more sustainably and makes others aware off the ills of overtourism. Smarter-decisions need to be taken by the government, tour operators to manage the impacts of unsustainable growth that eventually degrades the tourist experience, damages the natural environment, overloads the infrastructure, and threatens the culture and heritage of the locality. Stakeholders in the hospitality business must remember that there remain significant opportunities for a wide range of off-the-beaten track hot spots, as many travellers also express a desire for new unique and authentic experiences.
PATA CEO Noor Ahmed Hamid, reflecting on tourism’s deeper value at a recent global conference held in April this year, said that “Tourism is an emotional economy. What we truly take away from travel are the moments, memories, and human connection” and that there is an opportunity to tourism that uplifts, heals and endures”.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Customer Service Trainer and Ex-Hotelier
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