Tourism Planning and a Nation's Vision: A Review of the Tourism Policy of Sri Lanka

As tourism is a vector of development, governments try to coordinate planning with national development objectives. In Sri Lanka, a post-war country, tourism has been perceived as a tool for post-war reconstruction and reconciliation. A blueprint document; the ‘Sri Lankan Tourism Development Strategy 2011-2016’, whose objectives are to distribute national economic benefits through tourism to economic development and national social cohesion, is guiding tourism development. Can it really be a bridge for reconstruction? This conceptual paper aims to assess the tourism reality in post-war Sri Lanka in the light of the blueprint document, by reviewing the policy with regards to; public or private tourism development, domestic or international tourism, special interest or mass tourism, tourism supply or resources focusing on the distribution of benefits. It concludes identifying gaps between the government tourism strategy, socio-economic and political situation. It contributes to the literature on Sri Lankan tourism development post-war, notably to review the tourism blueprint in its recognition and helps to build a body of knowledge on understanding tourism policy in the context of national reconstruction and social cohesion.