Welcome to ICCM – 2015 Faculty of Management Studies & Commerce University of Jaffna

Title of the Paper DEMAND FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: A STUDY WITH REFERENCE TO SRI LANKA BY: S. NISTHAR DR. S. VIJAKUMAR DR. AAM. NUFILE

Introduction Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is vibrant with natural beauty and resources. Unplanned development associated with tourism has led to over exploitation and misuse of the resources in Sri Lanka. 64% of the tourists stated that degradation of the coastal environmental resources is a major issue in the area. According to the respondents, 83% of them stated that pollution of the beach is severe in Hikkaduwa

Introduction Cont. In Hikkaduwa there are severe issues which disrupt the maintaining of ecological balance, and reduce the tourist satisfaction because without maintaining the quality of the environment and quality of the built fabric tourists fail to be attracted to the area. To prevent tourism development initiatives depleting natural resources such as water, energy and other raw materials, during the last few years, eco-friendly initiatives have been promoted with the participation of the private sector. Promotion of natural tourism and cultural tourism in the interior is perceived as a sustainable alternative for economic development. A National Ecotourism Policy Plan is being formulated to promote Sri Lanka as a unique ecotourism destination.

Theoretical Background and Literature Review Tourism in the green economy refers to tourism activities that can be maintained, or sustained, indefinitely in their social, economic, cultural, and environmental contexts: “sustainable tourism”. (UNWTO 2005). Lane (1994) claims that sustainable tourism is an approach which does not discourage tourism but encourages maintaining the interests of all parties involved with tourism. Buckley (2003) asserts that the principle of sustainable tourism can benefit the local community through protecting the environment. The World Bank (WB, 2003) claims that sustainable tourism development economically benefits local communities.

Theoretical Background and Literature Review Cont. Lang and Vries (2007) argue that sustainable tourism puts emphasis to minimize the negative social impacts of tourism on local community livelihoods. Ritchter (1989) claims that the sustainable tourism concept ignores the issues of control and politics of tourism that will control tourism activities. Most researchers agree that sustainable tourism is necessary.

Objective of the Study 1.To identify the factors which are important in achieving long-term sustainability in tourism industry. 2.To find the relationship between the sustainability in tourism industry and economic growth.

Sustainable Tourism Concept and Indicators Sustainable tourism could be defined as "Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities".

Main indicators in Sustainable Tourism IndicatorMeasurement details Field of indicator Site preservation Site preservation category according to International Union for the conservation of nature and natural Resources (IUCN) Index Ecology PressureTotal amount of tourists to the location (annual and monthly) Ecology Intensive usageIntensive usage during the highest period (total visitors per hectare) Ecology Management of waste Percentage of waste sent to the disposal site (extra indicators such as water supply could be used) Ecology Critical ecosystemNumber unique species, extinct and soon to be extinct species in that area Ecology Social impactRatio of impact tourist to local people (during peak seasons and subsequent seasons) Social Local people’s satisfaction Satisfaction level expressed by the local people (using questionnaire census) Economy Development control Using environment reference procedure or formal control towards development of the site and the density Planning Planning processUsing territorial planning plan which had been planned for areas of tourism planning. Planning Customer satisfaction (tourism) Satisfactory level that is expressed by tourist (using questionnaire census) Economy Contribution to the local economy Total economic contribution gained from the torus sector economy

Methodology The study embodies descriptive analysis to explicate naturalistic interpretation of different researchers from different destination settings in the world. The rich description on the phenomenon of analysis enables the study to derive the many issues and challenges in nurturing sustainable development through strategies and polices along with the sustainable tourism indicators.

Analysis The gathering of suitable documentation on sustainability in the tourism has been a significant component of this study. It helps to understand what has been done to evolve sustainable practice and provides an overview of what could be improved to achieve a higher environmental rating or greater involvement in social events in the future.

Findings and Conclusion The development of a good tourism product and destination could attract more tourists from in and out of the country. Economical, ecological, planning and social indicators are instrumental in certifying, identifying and achieving long and short term sustainability in tourism industry even in Sri Lanka.

Sustainable Growth & Development through Demand for Sustainable Tourism Source: Developed by the researchers

Recommendation Governments are the key players in managing tourism development. They have a clear responsibility for decision- making related to tourism development. One of the key measures relates to creating a legal framework that can provide tools for implementing sustainable tourism activities. Governments can also adopt instruments to enable appropriate visitor management and determine levels of tourism impact.

Thanking You