Urgent need for enforcement unit at Sri Lanka Tourism
An urgent need for an enforcement unit to control, manage and stop the influx of unauthorised foreign actors engaging and operating in illegal tourism activities is vital for the country’s economy, says a former enforcer.
According to retired senior DIG of Police C.L. Ratnayake who spearheaded such a unit under the then Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) prior to the establishment in 2007 of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), this has become an urgent requirement considering the ever-increasing number of illegal operations conducted by unauthorised foreign nationals.
Unless halted now, these operations which have been gaining ground for several decades will spread like a cancer across the country to the detriment of the local tourist trade, he said.
As it is, some of these operators have gained footholds along the southern and eastern coastal belts and are making inroads to the hill country and highly popular tourist areas such as Ella.
“It would not be long before local small-time operators deprived of their earnings resort to violence against these foreigners,” he said.
That would not bode well for the future of Tourism and the millions of dollars expected to fill the government coffers, he predicted.
He identified Israel, Ukraine, India and China as being among the key countries from where these operators arrive.
Their ‘modus operandi’ is to first rent or lease a house at a popular tourist locality and then start their operations by organising package tours from their own countries. The money thus collected would rarely see the inside of Sri Lankan coffers since it would go into their bank accounts in their home country. They also sell wares bought cheaply from local suppliers with some even acting as tourist guides.
“It is mostly the small-time tour operators, hoteliers, guides and vendors who are being affected currently, but the situation could slowly snowball into a major issue if allowed to go unchecked,” he said.
The former top police investigator had quit the SLTB unit in disgust due to step motherly treatment meted out to the unit which had no proper office space provided and had to shift several times.
He said that in spite of the unit, consisting of a consultant, two investigators, a lawyer and a few assistants compiling dossiers on several culprits no enforcement or prosecutions was conducted due to the lack of will of some in the then Tourist Board hierarchy who had their own privileges to protect.
Hitad.lk has you covered with quality used or brand new cars for sale that are budget friendly yet reliable! Now is the time to sell your old ride for something more attractive to today's modern automotive market demands. Browse through our selection of affordable options now on Hitad.lk before deciding on what will work best for you!