The ongoing drought conditions which have seen the water levels of Sri Lanka’s reservoirs depleting and water supply shortages in various parts of the island are also impacting certain aspects of the tourism sector.
According to the ‘Sri Lanka Drought Outlook’ published via the South Asia Drought Monitoring System (SADMS) bulletin, despite a revival of the Southwest Monsoon forecast, several provinces, including the Northern, North-Central, and Eastern Provinces, are recording normal to below average rainfall received from August to October.
Having had to weather multiple crises of varying magnitude since the inception of the pandemic, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is no stranger to rolling with the punches; the prolonged dry spell the country is under at present is similarly presenting challenges to various segments of the tourism industry, as revealed by tourism sector stakeholders who spoke to The Sunday Morning.
However, most hoteliers claimed that the impact of the drought was not significant, although noting that the industry required proper planning to rise to the occasion.
No impact on hoteliers
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President M. Shanthikumar said that there was no notable impact from the drought on hoteliers.
“This drought doesn’t make much of a difference where tourism is concerned since most hotels are air-conditioned and the hotels by the beach get the sea breeze,” he said, assuring that there were no power or water shortages at hotels.
Flameback Eco Lodge Managing Director Dulani Guruge, part of the Hoteliers of South Association, noted that things were manageable. “At the moment we are managing hotel operations with the existing water supply we get from the Water Board. We are hopeful that the rains will start soon; that’s what we are all counting on.”
Anuradhapura Tourism and Hoteliers Association Advisor J. Harshanath L. Gunasekara too confirmed that the impact of the drought was not immediately felt in the tourism sector, but observed that it deterred site visits.
“It’s very warm; tourists are reluctant to visit sites during the daytime, so there’s a drop. Tourists usually do excursions from Habarana, but now they will only visit sites if they come early in the morning,” he noted, adding however that the water supply was thus far uninterrupted. “Although the water levels are low, there are no restrictions yet; only the water pressure has been reduced. However, most hotels have their own wells so this has not been a big problem yet.”
He further noted that animals now approached the waterholes without fear since they needed water. “You are likely to see two or three leopards as well, since they have to come to the water holes because of the drought. However, the conditions are very warm for the tourists themselves, although some bear with this because they wish to see the animals.”
He also observed that the high temperatures had caused changes to tourist behaviour patterns, noting that while tourists typically came to Anuradhapura after visiting Trincomalee or vice versa during ‘Trinco season,’ there was a decline in numbers at present. “With the dry spell, they might be deterred from visiting the monuments, or more people might be staying at Trincomalee for longer instead.”
Since tourists had to visit archaeological sites in Anuradhapura barefoot, they could be finding it difficult to handle during the daytime, he mused, unless they stayed overnight in Anuradhapura. However, with Habarana becoming a tourist base, tourists were now undertaking their excursions from there, he noted.
Addressing the impact of the drought conditions on the sector, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) President Nishad Wijetunga said that the direct impact on tourism due to the dry spell was minimal.
“There is no direct impact on tourism such as a drop in arrivals or people keeping away from the destination due to the drought. The weather being good (no rain) is good for tourism, as tourists are happy as they can get about and do their thing. However, there is an impact on the tourists due to the high humidity during the day, especially with Western tourists,” he said.
He however noted that some impact was being felt in the dry zone: “The main effects are felt in the dry zone, so that covers the Cultural Triangle which is frequented by tourists. Tourists in the south are also affected in the same way. For instance, getting from one site to another and actively participating in any adventure or activity-based events can be more tiring than normal.”
While the drought has dampened general tourism activities somewhat, the pressing concern remains the national parks and associated tourism activities.
Describing the impact of the drought conditions on the parks, SLAITO President Wijetunga said: “The situation does affect the wildlife due to lack of water. However, as always, the Department of Wildlife Conservation takes steps to protect and preserve the parks and the animals by filling with water the various man-made ponds which the animals frequent during this time. We are glad this is done as wildlife is a big tourism attraction in Sri Lanka.”
When asked whether SLAITO was taking any particular steps in this regard, he noted: “There is nothing in particular we can do as SLAITO. We have assisted in the past by providing water pumps to Wilpattu National Park to fill the man-made ponds, etc. As we too are just coming out of four years of crises, the funding that used to be allocated for CSR projects is also limited, so it is a challenge.”
Affecting eco tourism
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Eco Tourism Association President Kelum Fernando said that the drought was strongly affecting the eco tourism sector: “We are feeling the water shortage 100%; animals are no longer gathering at one spot for tourists to see, the environment is dried up, and whether it is the morning or night, there is no freshness to the environment. As a result, the eco tourism sector is facing a massive obstacle, since we focus on showing greenery to tourists; instead, what we have to show is dried up, brown, and deteriorating plants.”
He noted that areas such as Yala, Kataragama, Tissamaharama, Kaudulla, and Sigiriya were experiencing an intensely dry period. “Typically, this is a period with high tourist arrivals in areas such as Kaudulla, but with the increased temperatures, there is no water in the lakes for the animals to come to.”
Fernando further noted that poor maintenance of water resources at the national parks had contributed to the present situation. “There are small artificial lakes in national parks, but these have not been maintained for a while, especially following Covid. As such, there have been issues when filling these up with water abruptly. Although the DWC and fellow tourism stakeholders have been supplying water, it hasn’t been enough,” he said, noting that once water had to be prioritised for people’s basic requirements, the tourism sector would go downhill.
The best moment for tourists to observe wild animals within the parks is when they gather near water bodies. When water levels are low, animals tend to not congregate around these water bodies as much, which poses a significant challenge, since it results in less animals for tourists to observe. Moreover, Fernando believes that the animals no longer range the forests due to the high temperatures, preferring to instead conserve their energy and remain hidden.
Independent Safari Jeep Association Udawalawa member Athula Jayawardena too noted that the impact of the drought on the sector as a whole was minimal, but said that it was somewhat difficult to see animals during daytime safari tours, especially from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
According to Anuradhapura Professional Tour Operators Association Chairman D.B. Sarath, the shortage of water is affecting animals in the Wilpattu and Habarana National Parks. “Usually, animals will be at watering holes, but this has lessened,” he noted, adding that should the parks have to be closed, it would affect the livelihoods of many. “People who travel to these areas for the purpose of visiting the parks might stop visiting the area altogether.”
However, he noted that there was a substantial amount of tourists at present, despite the ongoing drought.
Sri Lanka has employed a strategy of closing the national parks to visitors during the height of the drought each year, with Yala, the country’s most popular national park, being traditionally closed to visitors from September to mid-October.
“There are always parks that are open, so it doesn’t really affect tourism. For example, if Block 1 in Yala is closed there are still the Katagamuwa, Galge, and Lunugamvehera sections that are kept open,” SLAITO President Wijetunga said addressing a possible closure of parks, however adding: “We do support closing of parks as a measure to manage the impact of the drought on the wildlife.”
Sri Lanka Eco Tourism Association President Fernando noted that rather than closing the national parks, attention should be paid to ensuring that water was available for the wild animals. “There needs to be a proper irrigation management system within these parks to ensure access to water. Given the income earned from tourism, they can afford to spare some funds to develop this infrastructure,” he said, urging the DWC, park wardens, and other responsible authorities to maintain such irrigation infrastructure.
Pumping water to Yala
Describing the situation at the Yala National Park, Yala Wildlife Site Protection Officer K. Abeyrathna said that approximately 100,000 litres of water were pumped through bowsers at Yala daily.
He further noted that water was available in about three lakes, while around 10% of water holes had water. In total, only around 20% of the lakes in the park are filled with water at present. “While we supply water to the park, the issue is that there is no food for the animals, with the grass having dried up.”
Addressing the impact of tourism under these circumstances, he said: “Tourist numbers are higher at present, which increases the pressure on the wild animals. Increased vehicle movement restricts animals’ ability to move in search of food. Moreover, we only pump water into a limited number of water holes, which means the animals must find their way to these holes.”
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Priantha Fernando told The Sunday Morning that the relevant authorities were taking measures to address the adverse effects of the drought on the industry.
Explaining the damages being sustained by the industry, he said: “The drought is having negative impacts on the industry in an indirect manner. For example, there’s no water available for the wildlife in Yala. If this continues, the authorities will be compelled to close down Yala for a temporary period of time.
“Together with the Yala hoteliers’ association, we are trying to arrange water to fill in the man-made tanks within the park. About 10-12 bowser loads will be needed per day. We estimate that the drought will continue for about 10-11 weeks, so we are going ahead with financial support. Although this does not fall under our purview, it indirectly impacts tourism.
“Similarly, there could be certain minor impacts in other areas due to the water issue. For instance, if this continues and there are power cuts, the hospitality sector will be affected, meaning hotels will have to move to generated power, which is more expensive and will increase their operational costs,” Fernando said.
“We are prepared with contingency plans should things continue in this manner, since we have to ensure that tourists are as comfortable as possible. Therefore, together with other agencies, we are taking the necessary action.”
DWC Director Operations Ranjan Marasinghe noted that such droughts were natural events which were required in wildlife conservation. “When water is available in abundance, the population of certain species grows and a drought will cause a reduction. This is natural and has recurred historically.”
However, he noted that the department was undertaking measures to manage the side effects of this situation, adding that they would be providing water to the areas which required it as long as the national parks remained open.
“It is not practical to provide water to the entire extent of the land under the DWC. However, the DWC usually provides water for the tourism zones in national parks, in addition to undertaking other activities such as underbrushing. We don’t have to increase these activities during a drought; we continue to do these actions as usual. During droughts, we irrigate to the level required, depending on the level of depletion. We can’t over-irrigate because it can destroy the habitat if all the wild animals congregate at that location.”
Addressing the likelihood of the parks being closed due to the drought, Marasinghe said: “It appears that the drought will continue for a few more days. At such times, we need to deploy our officials on conservation work, so we typically close the parks. However, this does not mean that we fully shut down national parks; only certain sections are closed. For instance, we usually shut down Yala since the threat there is greater, with Blocks 1 and 2 being closed while Blocks 3,4, and 5 remain open. Therefore, there will be no impact on tourists.”
Stressing that no decision had been taken to close down the national parks as yet, he added: “We have given our recommendations to the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Reserve Conservation in this regard and are awaiting a policy decision from the Government, which we will act upon.”
Meanwhile, weighing in on the conservation aspects, Centre for Environmental Justice Executive Director Hemantha Withanage told The Sunday Morning that while drought was a natural condition required to control population spread, the present drought conditions were not fully natural.
While previously animals had freedom to range in search of water, these lands have been occupied by humans and as such, wild animals are unable to leave their protected corners. Moreover, drought is also when poaching increases. Accordingly, he pointed out: “Unlike before, present day droughts impact national parks far more seriously.”
In such a backdrop, he noted that tourist vehicles should be reduced and the parks closed for the benefit of the animals. “Instead, water is supplied through bowsers for the animals in an attempt to keep them there artificially. With all parties having taken the task of wildlife management into their hands, this is not being undertaken in a scientific manner.”
He further noted that the wildlife corridors were of paramount importance during drought periods, enabling wildlife to migrate in search of resources. With the destruction of forests, wild animals have been deprived of these corridors, meaning the animals are restricted to the artificial waterholes, he pointed out.
“It is only when these animals migrate that natural selection takes place, which is necessary for the healthy continuation of the species,” he said, adding that the present wildlife management practices were undermining this.
During a critical period when Sri Lanka attempts to emerge from the past crises, it will need to ensure the survivability of its essential revenue-generation sectors such as tourism alongside its vulnerable natural resources, especially in the face of a rapidly escalating global climate crisis.