Shore excursion challenges in Sri Lanka

Note on the source. This source should be read with caution: it may be funded by the sector, a draft or a thesis, or rely on self-reported or modelled data. See the limitations below.

The question

What difficulties do local operators organising shore excursions for cruise ships in Sri Lanka face, in economic, environmental and socio-cultural terms, on the demand and supply side, and with service providers?

The method

Qualitative, exploratory pilot study, March-November 2015 (22 ships arrived in the period): semi-structured interviews of 30-45 minutes with 8 members of ships' shore excursion staff, 2 managers and 6 operational staff of local agencies, plus participant observation on 4 excursions (Pinnawala and Colombo city tour) and secondary data; descriptive thematic analysis.

What the study finds

30–200% morepaid to the ship for excursions, as reportedTwo local ground-handling managers and an executive report that passengers pay the ship 30% to 200% more for excursions than local operators receive; unaware of the mark-up, customers expect service to match the price.

≈ 20 minqueuing at the Temple of the Tooth, one intervieweeField observations indicate that group excursions create coach convoys in city traffic, parking problems at main sites and crowding at temples and attractions, where no visitor-management techniques are applied; a worshipper interviewed at the Temple of the Tooth says she queued for about 20 minutes.

200 mColombo's single passenger-ship berthAccording to an agency manager, Colombo has a single berth reserved for passenger ships, 200 metres long and too short for the largest vessels; there is also no terminal with holding areas for passengers joining or leaving the ship.

>20 coachesof luxury standard hard to secure at peakOperators report that passengers often book at the last minute, forcing them to keep spare vehicles, guides and restaurant places; in peak periods it is very hard to secure more than 20 luxury coaches of the same standard.

With rising tourist demand, it is hard to find 30-50 good national guides for a single call; skills vary, and some participants complain after comparing their guide with those on other coaches.
Operators cite harassment by street vendors, tuk-tuk drivers and beggars as worsening the experience and, in their view, possibly leading lines to drop the call; sites also lack basic facilities, such as adequate toilets by the river where visitors watch the elephants bathe (p. 10).
At the time of the study Sri Lanka had no specific policy to promote cruise tourism, and responsibilities were spread across several ministries (finance/customs, tourism, defence/border control).

Why it matters for ports and cities

Through accounts from excursion organisers, the study indicates that the quality of a shore visit hinges on very practical matters: parking, toilets, guides, visitor management at sites and the ability to forecast demand. For emerging ports and destinations it suggests investing in passenger holding areas, inter-agency coordination and supplier standards.

Limitations

A pilot study with few interviewees (16 people plus observation of 4 excursions), no quantitative passenger data; quotes from the passenger side are anecdotal, and the situation described dates from 2015.

Full reference and source

Samarathunga, W.H.M.S. (2016). Challenges in Cruise Tourism in Relation to Shore Excursions: The Case of Sri Lanka. Colombo Business Journal, vol. 07, n. 02 (Faculty of Management & Finance, University of Colombo).

Read the original study ↗

Summary written by the ODYBOAT Observatory in our own words. Tables and figures belong to the authors.