Resplendent Sites, Discordant Voices: Sri Lankans and International Tourism

This text provides a examination of the development of international tourism in Sri Lanka, from the mid 1960s to the 1990s, portraying a highly complex industry on a number of different levels and from a diversity of viewpoints. The focus of the book shifts from global and comparative concerns to the political, economic and cultural contest of national policy formation, investigates the regional story of tourism growth in Kandy, and examines the roles and relationships which exist in the so-called informal sector - the large arena of somewhat shady activities beyond the control of national tourism authorities which characterizes this industry throughout the Third World. The rhetoric of the industry image-makers is studied, and contrasted with how tourism is percieved by a range of other social groups, such as those running unlicensed guesthouses, municipal offices, the younger generation about to leave school, and individuals trying to make a living from their encounters with foreigners on the streets of Kandy. From these portraits, international tourism in Sri Lanka emerges as an arena of conflicting, ambivalent and ambiguous voices.