"Square pegs in a round hole..." says ex- Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Chairman
Squaring up on his several years of involvement in tourism and as a veteran of the industry, the former Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Chairman, Mr. Udaya Nanayakkara does not see the need for replacing the current Tourism Act with a new one.
As one of those who provided inputs during the time the 2005 Act was been formulated, he is of the opinion that apart from making a few adjustments, there is no need to change it, particularly with one, that aims to eliminate the private sector on the decision-making process. The composition of the board of the SLTDA comprises bureaucrats other than the Chairperson under the draft Act, it was noted.
Endorsing the industry’s cry that the need of the hour is to focus on overcoming the existing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, he views the continued involvement of the private sector on the various boards as vital towards bringing back tourism to Sri Lanka by following health protocols rather than concentrate on introducing new legislation, aimed at installing bureaucrats to boards that will bow to the people appointed with ‘hidden agendas’.
Mr. Nanayakkara, who was asked to resign from his post as Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board in 2018, by the then Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs Minister John Amaratunga, despite, both the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) and the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) request that he be retained, is clearly of the view that “Square pegs in round holes cannot decide for an industry run predominantly by the private sector by calling for a change of the legislation that governs tourism by appointing bureaucrats to the helm of its governing bodies.”
The former Chairman noted however, that there could be an amalgamation of Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) because conventions are just another tourism product similar to wellness, sports and adventure. He goes on to add “There should be three different outfits, one concentrating on regulatory aspects similar to what the SLTDA is doing and another purely concentrating on tourism marketing and promotion and the other for human resource development for the hospitality industry”.
Mr. Nanayakkara feels that the SME sector should be represented on the board as well.
Hospitality Sri Lanka News
(Source; Sunday Times)
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