The tourism industry is showing signs of picking back up. According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), so far this year (2023), a total of 47,353 tourists have arrived in Sri Lanka, and the tourism industry plans to see 105,000 tourist arrivals by the end of this month. At the same time, even amidst the economic crisis, many tourists have recommended Sri Lanka as a potential travel destination and have stressed the importance of supporting the country’s tourism industry.

In this context, making Sri Lanka a safe and pleasant place for tourists is a top priority in order to attract more of them. However, despite this pressing need, there is no scarcity of reports of tourists facing various forms of unfair treatment at the hands of Sri Lankans. During the past few months, a number of social media posts showed tourists being scammed and verbally harassed in Sri Lanka, while certain social media posts made by tourists who had visited the country also cautioned others who were planning to visit the country regarding such mistreatment.

From taxi drivers, tourist guides, and restaurant owners that overcharge tourists and at times harass their customers in the process, to various institutions and tourist attractions that require tourists to pay exorbitantly high prices compared to what Sri Lankans pay, this issue exists in various forms. Even though the authorities appear to be taking action against this, many such incidents go unaddressed either because they are not reported or are not technically illegal under Sri Lankan law. However, the damage these acts cause to Sri Lanka’s reputation, especially to the tourism industry, is massive. Firstly, tourists that face such incidents are unlikely to visit the country again. Further, these incidents would greatly affect the recommendations made by tourists who have visited the country, which, according to studies, are among the leading factors travellers consider when choosing a certain destination.

Therefore, regardless of the legality of some such acts, such as overcharging tourists when there are no price-related regulations, Sri Lanka has to take action, and this should go beyond merely taking legal action after a complaint is received, or advising tourists to be careful. The authorities need to be proactive and creative, and focus on the prevention aspect. A system should be in place to not only take legal action, but also to raise awareness on the legal actions that could be taken against those mistreating tourists. At the same time, there should be a massive attitudinal shift in order to guide the people, particularly those who provide services to tourists, to see tourists as consumers, not as golden geese. In addition, the authorities need to implement new laws or regulations to ensure the fair treatment of tourists. Without such changes, the tourism industry will decline faster than it picked up, or will remain stagnant.

As one of the foremost sources of foreign exchange, the importance of the tourism industry in the country’s economic recovery, which depends greatly on how fast the country builds its foreign reserves, cannot be stressed enough. In fact, the decline in tourist arrivals is one of the factors that contributed to the dwindling of foreign reserves. Therefore, at a time when the national economy should become everyone’s priority, the Government should pay more attention to ensuring tourists’ safety and comfort, while those who provide goods and services to tourists should be considered important stakeholders of that process, by not mistreating tourists.