The Tourism Leaders’ Summit and International Tourism Research Conference which is expected to provide impetus for the growth of the country’s tourism industry will be held on October 4-5 at the BMICH in Colombo.
The event is expected to be the perfect model for Sri Lanka Tourism for its policy implementation and way forward on the theme ‘Integration of global value chains for sustainable tourism development, inclusiveness, competition and innovation’.
The conference will provide the opportunity for integrated tourism dialogue where the country could immensely benefit. As Sri Lanka has raised the bar in tourism, and is expecting four million tourists and US $ 7 billion in revenue by 2020, Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs, John Amaratunga told the media in Colombo last week.
“Tourism is now one of the main pillars of our country and its position will be further consolidated with the targets we have set for the industry. Tourism has become the passport to prosperity for many countries and Sri Lanka is no exception, provided we manage this sector in a sustainable manner. This is where we require the input of academics to chart the way forward,” he said.
The Tourism Leaders’ Summit which is now in its fourth edition, is a valuable forum where key stakeholders will benefit from the experience of world leaders in tourism who will participate in the forum this year.
The event is being organised by the Alumni Association of Tourism Economics and Hospitality Management and the students of the tourism study program of the Department of Economics , University of Colombo. It will be held parallel to the official celebration of UNWTO World Tourism Day in Sri Lanka with a series of co-related tourism events with the Ministry of Tourism Development and Christian Affairs and key stakeholders of Sri Lanka Tourism.
The major objective of the summit and the conference is to provide a constructive dialogue to deliver most needed policy and management applications to strengthen sustainable tourism development in Sri Lanka under the guidelines of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Working with key stakeholders has helped fulfill the national tourism development agenda and synergize a common platform in which academia and industry professionals work together to design sound and practical strategies to develop the industry.
Today, Sri Lanka is a key player in world tourism especially after its appointment as a vice president of the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Over 125 countries and 1,500 delegates endorsed this appointment at its recent general assembly in China.
The summit and the forum will focus on key areas of global expectation for Sri Lanka tourism development, building capacity and enhancing community contribution for inclusive tourism, lessons learnt from global best practitioners, strengthening corporate partnership for implementation of tourism strategies, enhance connectivity and industry networks and multiplying human capital investment. Development of sustainable tourism is a process which meets the needs of present tourists and host communities while protecting and enhancing needs in the future. A system where every development in tourism or outside tourism will evolve around sustainability is required as the UN declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.