Tourism and earning urgently needed valuable foreign exchange

By Capt. Gihan A Fernando
MBA
gafplane@sltnet.lk

RCyAF, SLAF, Air Ceylon. Air Lanka, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines and Civil Aviation Authority Sri LankaLooking at the critical situation in the country, it is obvious that the lack of VFE (valuable foreign exchange) is the cause of many of the problems. Be it long fuel lines or non-availability of essential goods, services and medicines.Although the Sri Lanka Tourism Authority (SLTDA) has declared that it can contribute US$ 800 million to the public coffers, in the current year, there doesn’t seem to be any hurry to get things moving from the Tourism Ministry. At the last meeting of the Tour Operators with the President, the Minister incharge was not even present!

Where Tourism is concerned, there has to be a master plan to earn VFE urgently. The infrastructure is already present. All it needs is some high priority considerations. While the petrol and diesel used by the domestic consumers is an end in itself, the fuel supplied to tourist organisations will earn direct and indirect VFE to the country. A return on the VFE investment.

The following are some of the matters that need to be addressed immediately.

(1) A stable and democratic Government

(2) Making fuel available for tourist vehicles a high priority.

(3) Fuel for electric generators at tourist hotels

(4) A Government programme to ensure safety and security of visiting tourists.

(5) All foreign embassies to be advised to take steps in their relevant countries to revise their travel advisories, saying that Sri Lanka is now safe for tourists.

(6) Sri Lanka being second only to Indonesia in the accommodation of ‘Digital Nomads’, exploit the potential for improvement

(7) Have international events surfing, yachting and sport flying.

(8) Reviving domestic charter flying

(9) Thinking out of the box to earn VFE.

(1) It goes without saying that a stable and democratic government that will display its integrity to the rest of the world will go a long way to earn much needed VFE.

(2) Make fuel available to Tourist Vehicles immediately on a priority basis. SLTB refuelling stations islandwide could be co-opted for distribution purposes. The authorities have been unable to arrange a priority scheme for essential services similar to the military, police and the health services.

(3) Make fuel available immediately for electric generators at hotels islandwide to ensure power and internet facilities 24/7. If the estimated fuel requirement is unaffordable, focus on the hotels in the North and the East coast for a start as the hotels off the Southwest are off season due to the onset of the SW monsoon.

(4) Safety and security for all tourists could be achieved with a high priority Government plan involving the Tourist Police and the military, with minimum effort and cost

(5) Publicity and marketing through the embassies should be stepped up on a priority basis. Unfortunately, till item (1) is satisfied, the progress will be slow.

(6) Who are Digital Nomads? They are people on extended holidays who work away from their home country, making a living while enjoying life. Sri Lanka must strive to be the leading country for this type of tourist. Therefore we must improve facilities for ‘Digital Nomads’ making it attractive to continue their life style.

(7) Sri Lanka is blessed with good weather for activities such as surfing, yachting and pleasure flying. There are local organisations that will help to arrange facilities, including the international competitions. Unfortunately they are not even consulted and there are too many regulatory restrictions. The process could be simplified.

(8) By providing fuel strictly for Charter Flights, only within the country, tourists who could afford can be taken to and from 17 airports in the island such as BIA, Jaffna, Vavunia, Thalladi (Mannar), Nuwara Eliya, China Bay (Trincomalee), Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Hingurakgoda, Castlereigh, Batticaloa, Ampara, Mattala, Weerawilla, Koggala, Dickoya, Katukurunda and Ratmalana. Charter Helicopters could take them anywhere and earn VFE. These airport and water landing areas are maintained by the SLAF and the Airports and Aviation Sri Lanka Ltd (AASL) at tremendous cost to the government.

(9) According to the Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, to maintain the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, it costs US$ 100 million a month in VFE. It is now time to ‘think out of the box.’ (See the article below)

(10) There is another ‘white elephant’ in the form of the Nelun Kuluna which is not serving any purpose. May I suggest that we allow tourists to climb to the top, like in the Eifel tower, so that they may get a ‘Bird’s eye view of Colombo City. They could pay in VFE. Like the Eifel tower, TV and Radio antennae could be installed there. Thus helping to earn its keep.

A reasonable solution for Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, (MRIA) the ‘Loneliest’ International Airport in the World

When tourism gets off the ground again, there is a reasonable painless way of earning the all-important valuable foreign exchange (VFE) by adding value.

May I give the readers a quick solution? I never thought for a moment I would be saying this….

Cease operations at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), pull the fences out and allow the elephants, other animals and birds to come in. Convert the terminal building to a hotel. It has an observation deck with large windows already in existence. Construct a few water holes. There is a minimum of three breaches of the fences by elephants every week.

In short, make it a wildlife park. The Ratmalana Airport has nonstandard and dangerous concrete fencing and walls which can be replaced by safety fencing removed from MRIA. They could do the same with the Radio Navigational Aids and make Colombo International Airport Ratmalana, truly an International Airport. All this could be done at minimum cost.Flying has been this writer’s life for over 50 years and I never thought I will be saying this.

In Kenya, there is hotel in the jungle called ‘The Ark’, built close to a waterhole where all kinds of animals come to drink, day and night. There are flood lights trained on to the waterhole at night. There are animal spotters who activate buzzers in the hotel rooms, depending on the type of animal. The visitors (in their night clothes) could come to large viewing areas to watch them. The Airport and Aviation Limited Sri Lanka (AASL), the Tourist Industry and the Wildlife Conservation Department could remove the electric fencing and reopen the waterholes that were closed to prevent birds from nesting and in short throw it open to the elephants again. It was an elephant corridor anyway.

There is also an airport in Ecuador which has been turned into a park. The Mattala terminal building has large glass windows that would be great for viewing and photographing elephants. A large waterhole by the parking apron could attract more elephants. The Control Tower could be used for elephant spotting. Converting Mattala into a Tourist Hotel will create a money spinner. Let us ‘Bite the bullet’ and cut our losses in these difficult times. As experts say “Mistakes pave the way for innovation, growth and creativity”

The latest and best radio navigational and landing aids have been installed at Mattala and remains largely unused, while Ratmalana, the cradle of Civil Aviation in Sri Lanka remains technically deficient. Airports and Aviation Sri Lanka (AASL), could therefore reinstall some of the Mattala navigational aids, like the Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range/ Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) and one Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana, at minimum cost. The other ILS could be installed at KKS, Batticaloa or Weerawilla airports which also lack Navigational Radio aids.

The Human /Elephant conflict could be greatly reduced if and when Mattala and Suriya Wewa are given back to the jungle. The SLAF could initiate intense seed bombing to replace the 44000 hard wood trees that were cut. It may take hundreds of years to recover. Let us forget our egos and think out of the box. After all to ‘Err is human’ (Cicero).

Think about it.