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India's Lanka policy

The reiteration by India of its support for a negotiated political solution in Sri Lanka, which would be just by all our communities within the framework of a united country, reflects India's abiding concern in safeguarding Sri Lanka's vital interests and speaks volumes for the goodwill India showers on this country. Besides, the statement evinces India's neutrality in the Lankan conflict and is proof of her peaceful intentions towards Sri Lanka.

Coming at the end of President Kumaratunga's visit to India, this commitment by the latter would go a long way towards consolidating the Indo-Sri Lanka relationship. This is also proof that Sri Lanka could always depend on India to adopt a fair and equitable stand on our conflict and not fall prey to partisan interests which are inimical to this country's vital concerns.

It is noteworthy that India has always reciprocated Sri Lanka's goodwill towards it. Such cordiality has reached a zenith when the Bandaranaikes have been guiding Sri Lanka's affairs, as at present.

This is because the Bandaranaikes of Sri Lanka and the Founding Fathers of post-independence India have made common cause over matters which profoundly affect the Indo-Lanka relationship and those affecting national and international well being. Non-alignment and global disarmament are two worthy causes which have brought the Gandhis of India and the Bandaranaikes of Sri Lanka together.

It shouldn't, therefore, come as a surprise if Indian goodwill towards Sri Lanka is at its height at the moment. Our wish is that the Indo-Lanka friendship would continue to thrive through good times and bad.

Meanwhile, the Indian policy on Sri Lanka needs to be perceptively studied by all those concerned with the Lankan conflict. What India is wishing for Sri Lanka is a fair and equitable resolution of our conflict, which would meet the legitimate aspirations of all our communities.

Being a thriving democracy and a secular one, India's preference is for a just solution which would be evolved within a democratic framework. From this point of view, while one community shouldn't gain unfairly at the expense of the other, all communities should seek to peacefully co-exist in a spirit of equality.

Such expectations are perfectly in unison with a democratic ethos and it goes without saying that it is only a solution which is based on democratic norms and values which would be exemplary from the Indian viewpoint.

Besides, the solution should be a negotiated one. In this perspective, there is no provision for a solution dictated by the force of arms.

It is important to recollect these points because there are interests in this country which create misleading impressions about India's policy on Sri Lanka. As could be seen, India is for a fair, impartial solution. She wouldn't be swayed from this position.

Tourism boom

Tourism generates approximately US$ 500 billion annually to the global economy through the 700 million people travelling all over the world. Sri Lanka gets only a tiny fraction of this revenue, from the nearly 500,000 tourists visiting the island every year. Some countries in our region attract as many as six million tourists a year without having any significant natural and cultural attractions.

Buoyed by the prospect of peace, Sri Lanka is aiming to attract at least one million tourists by 2010. This is by no means an unrealistic target, but a successful marketing strategy is essential. Most hotels are now posting 'house full' signs after years of lacklustre sales. International chains such as Sheraton, Ritz Carlton and Hyatt are vying to set up hotels here.

Several ultra-expensive boutique hotels are also being opened. This indicates a shift towards upmarket tourism, which will do the industry a world of good. Tourism earns Rs. 31,209 million to our economy annually while creating more than 150,000 direct and indirect jobs. These numbers can only go up if more than a million tourists come here.

We must be mindful of the fact that we are not the only pebble on the beach. That said, not many countries offer so many attractions in such a small land area. Sri Lanka must receive more international exposure and events such as the ongoing World Travel Mart (London) and Berlin's ITB offer just such an opportunity. The biggest events in the international travel and tourism calendar, these give the Sri Lankan tourism industry a golden chance to drum up more business.

Promoting inbound tourism should be a collective effort. The Sri Lanka Tourism Board, the local travel/tourism companies, SriLankan Airlines, our overseas missions and tour operators must all be involved in this exercise. While more promotions should be done in major markets such as Germany and the UK, Asia must not be neglected. More Asians are travelling within their continent than ever before and we should strive to get more of them here. India has already become our number one market and this momentum should be continued.

Another problem encountered by the local tourism industry is the lack of an adequate number of airline seats into Colombo. Hopefully, this will be resolved in due course as more airlines fly into Colombo. More no-frills budget carriers should be encouraged to fly into Sri Lanka as well.

It would be a folly to forget the domestic tourists in the tourism development drive. Locals sustained the tourism industry when overseas visitors plunged to very low levels. There should be affordable accommodation and travel packages for local tourists as well.

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