CENTER FOR A SMART FUTURE

KNOWLEDGE INSIGHTS

AUGUST 1, 2025
Policy Brief: ‘Private-Public Collaboration in Tourism Decision-Making in Sri Lanka: Time to Rethink Representation?’
A new CSF Policy Brief argues that private-public collaboration platforms in tourism must include members who can provide a more holistic and contemporary perspective of the industry. Plans for a new Act provide a good opportunity to rethink private sector representation in tourism bodies.
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MARCH 12, 2025
Getting the Price Right: Rationalizing Park Entry Fees and the Case of Yala National Park
Sri Lanka will be hosting unprecedented numbers of tourists in the shortterm. National parks are a key tourist attraction, hosting rapidly increasing visitors since 2009. A new report by CSF, titled 'Getting the Price Right: Rationalizing Park Entry Fees and the Case of Yala National Park', makes the case for why we should take a closer look at how national park entry fees must be determined and revised. Through a review of the theory and practice of national park entry fee pricing, along with a historical analysis of Sri Lankan national park entry fee revisions, the report presents four policy considerations.
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FEBRUARY 19, 2025
Spotting the Problem: Understanding Complexities in Tourism and Nature in Yala National Park
Tourism in Sri Lanka stands at a crossroads. While the industry is a crucial driver of economic recovery, it also places immense pressure on the country’s natural resources. This paradox—where tourism both depends on and threatens nature—requires urgent attention for long-term sustainability. CSF's new report 'Spotting the Problem' explores this intricate relationship through the lens of complexity theory, highlighting the case of overcrowding and safari misbehaviour in Yala National Park Block 1.
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FEBRUARY 19, 2025
How Tourism and Nature Interact: Studying Perceptions in Three Sites in Sri Lanka
In 2024, the Centre for a Smart Future (CSF) conducted a research study on how local stakeholders perceive the interactions between tourism and nature in Maskeliya, Kalpitiya, and Yala National Park, with the objective of unpacking destination-level realities of how tourism activities are taking place in Sri Lanka’s nature-abundant tourism sites. This Background and Scoping Report provides details on the rationale and objectives of the study, and serves as a reference document for anyone who wants to know more about the methodologies used and the limitations encountered that shaped the findings and observations of the study.
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SEPTEMBER 27, 2024
Re-defining Destination Identities for Sustainable Tourism in Sri Lanka
Short-term and unsustainable plans for a tourism recovery, with narrow views on destination identity, can threaten the natural assets that Sri Lanka's tourism is branded on. On World Tourism Day 2024, we argue that its time for Sri Lanka to re-define tourism destination identities through an inclusive and imaginative approach. With examples from Kalpitiya and Yala, based on ongoing research, this article suggests the need to 'co-discover' destination identities with local stakeholders.
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MARCH 25, 2024
How can we re-orient Sri Lanka’s tourism future?
CSF Research Associate Senith Abeyanayake reflects on a recent engagement with tourism industry leaders for a panel on charting a nature-positive economic recovery for Sri Lanka's tourism. This is part of CSF's 'Perspectives Series' of articles.
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