Sri Lanka Ranked as a Top Country for Travel in 2019 by Lonely Planet
Although it’s been ten years after the end of civil war, Sri Lanka today is regarded as one of the best countries to visit in 2019 because of its matchless transport facilities and brand new hotels according to Lonely Planet.
Sri Lanka has always been a major tourist attraction as a large number of people visit Sri Lanka every year. It is well-known for its wildlife, classic temples, surfing and its rich culture and traditions.
The wildlife of Sri Lanka cannot go amiss as it includes the 300-strong elephant gathering at Minneriya national park, thousand-year-old Buddhist monuments, hiking and train travel through the Hill Country’s tea plantations which is certainly a mesmerizing view.
The tourist visits to Sri Lanka has increased in a rapid scale over recent years. The various renovations made in the railway system have opened the doors to new places to explore like Jaffna and much of the north for the first time since 1990 which was earlier considered to be dangerous tourist spots.
The serene rail routes in Sri Lanka are considered to be the best in the world. There are also plenty of motorways built towards the south of Sri Lanka including Matara. The number of domestic flight routes has also increased recently, for instance, there are now routes from the capital Colombo, on the west coast, to Batticaloa, on the opposite side of the island, for every 45 minutes.
That’s not all, there have also been huge investments in relation to properties. Some of the premier hotel chains like Shangri-La, Mövenpick, Sheraton, and Grand Hyatt, are all opening new properties in Sri Lanka.
Surfing in Sri Lanka is also one of the most exciting activity to take part in. The tourist operators are now encouraging jungle hiking accompanied by yoga and ayurvedic treatments. Besides these, there are other attractions too such as conducting rituals on the clifftop of Koneswaram Kovil in Trincomalee in the northeast; Colombo’s main market of Pettah; and the fortified walls surrounding the colonial old town of Galle in the south which are all a must-watch.
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Is Tourism the Major Income Generator of the Country?
Well, tourism is indeed one of the prime sources of income in Sri Lanka. Asha de Vos, marine biologist and founder of Sri Lanka-based conservation organization Oceans well says “Tourism is a major income generator for the country. Unfortunately, much of our tourism is focused on numbers of tourists [rather than] the investment they make in the country.”
She further adds that numerous hotels have been constructed and the infrastructure has seen an upturn as it has been drastically improvised over the years thus attracting a great number of tourists from all over the world.
She says that this development has created a lot of havoc in the coastal areas and national parks as it has led to a tremendous increase in the pollution of rubbish which is not been disposed of properly.
Tourism in Sri Lanka can be advantageous but the Sri Lankan government has to take the necessary steps to educate, regulate and set a long-term vision to protect the country from over development.
