Browsing by Author "Scott, N."

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Impacts of COVID-19 on the Destination Management: Case of Ella, Sri Lanka.
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2021) Pathirana, M.T .; Herath, H.M.R.P.; Scott, N.; Gardiner, S.
The aim of this paper is to explore the impact of COVID-19 in Ella Sri Lanka as one of the growing tourist destinations with the involvement of the informal sector. Travel restrictions for more than 12 months considered an unfamiliar situation for almost all the destinations in Sri Lanka after facing a crisis from the Easter Sunday attack. Ella Sri Lanka is a remote destination that got the highest informal sector attention and social media influencers in Sri Lanka. Ella is an informal sector-based destination and lacking with formal sector involvement in planning and development for long-term survival. This factor led Ella to a crisis with COVID-19 and crashed in all the service offerings. Studying this destination with the impact of the crisis is essential to be a lesson to other informal sector-based destinations and to drive Ella to longterm survival. This is a qualitative case study research followed by eight interviews carried out to collect data from purposively selected stakeholder group participants. It is evident that formal sector establishments are much needed to drive Ella to long-term survival. It was further found the reasons for the crisis during this pandemic are involvement, lack of guest satisfaction, lack of engagement with the domestic tourists. Based on the findings, suitable recommendations were provided to destinations that are mainly focusing on growth. Those were developing a crisis management plan for those informal sector operators, improving the destination image with proper coordination of the work, and paying attention to other target markets.
An inquiry into achieving social sustainability from boutique hotels in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2020) Pathirana, M. T.; Herath, H. M. R. P.; Scott, N.; Gardiner, S.
Achieving social sustainability is a challenge while managing the internal and external pressure in a hotel. In Sri Lanka majority of the boutique hotels has not paid attention to the importance of social sustainability and to its impact of economic sustainability. There is no a proper guiding mechanism to link the society toward the boutique hotels to drive to social sustainability in Sri Lanka as a win-win situation. This paper aims to develop a good practice framework for the boutique hotels in Sri Lanka to drive them toward achieving social sustainability and to explore the internal and external factors that should consider to implement the initiatives to achieve social sustainability. This paper used case study methodology to implement the deductive approach. The author used qualitative data that collected from the interviews from the senior management, employees, guests and community leaders. Data contributed to develop the good guidance frame work. The selected case is an award winning group owned only registered boutique hotel. Research carried over a period of one month and analysed using within data through coding. The findings revealed the internal and external elements that should be considered when it comes to successful implementation to achieve social sustainability. In addition, most applicable key elements to drive toward social sustainability were identified. All these identified elements were integrated to the proposed good practice framework. The paper suggests although boutique hotels implement activities to achieve social sustainability a well-placed framework should place a leading role in achieving social sustainability successfully while extending the benefits to the society.
An Inquiry to Achieve Social Sustainability from Boutique Hotels in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2020) Pathirana, M. T.; Herath, H. M. R. P.; Scott, N.; Gardiner, S.
Achieving social sustainability is a challenge while managing the internal and external pressure in a hotel. In Sri Lanka, a majority of the boutique hotels have not paid attention to the importance of social sustainability and to its impact of economic sustainability. There is no proper guiding mechanism to link the society toward the boutique hotels to drive to social sustainability in Sri Lanka as a win-win situation. This paper aims to develop a good practice framework for the boutique hotels in Sri Lanka to drive them toward achieving social sustainability and to explore the internal and external factors that should be considered to implement the initiatives to achieve social sustainability. This paper used case study methodology to implement the deductive approach. The author used qualitative data that were collected from the interviews from the senior management, employees, guests, and community leaders. Data contributed to developing the good guidance framework. The selected case is the only registered boutique hotel owned by an award-winning group. Research was carried over a period of one month and data were analysed using within data through coding. The findings revealed the internal and external elements that should be considered when it comes to successful implementation to achieve social sustainability. In addition, most applicable key elements to drive toward social sustainability were identified. In terms of drivers for social sustainability, equity, equal opportunities, ethics, and equal partners were identified. As elements for micro level processes, staff, structure, and culture were identified. To support all these elements starting from winning customers to risk management were identified as elements at macro level. All these identified elements were integrated to the proposed good practice framework. The paper suggests although boutique hotels implement activities to achieve social sustainability a well-placed framework should play a leading role in achieving social sustainability successfully while extending the benefits to the society.
Unlocking the Potential of Biodiversity for Promotion of Sustainable Tourism: Case of Indian Tourist Arrival to Knuckles Wildlife Conservations Region
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2023) Pathirana, M. T.; Pande, G.; Scott, N.; Herath, H. M. R. P.; Gardiner, S.; Siriwardane, A.
Biodiversity plays a crucial role in attracting tourists and fostering an understanding of the value of natural resources. However, the rapid expansion of development activities has compromised biodiversity conservation and strained natural resources. Sustainable tourism seeks to operate without harming nature, the environment, biodiversity, and society. India and Sri Lanka, both emerging tourism destinations with rich biodiversity, have indigenous communities residing near natural reserves and relying on natural resources for their livelihoods. These communities hold a strong cultural connection to nature, shaping their identities. Some regions remain untapped due to inaccessibility, missing out on the benefits of tourism development. Leveraging communities and biodiversity presents significant potential for both countries. Given their proximity and shared cultural heritage, they are major tourism markets for each other, further increasing tourism activities. This paper proposes sustainable tourism management practices that integrate environmental, social, and cultural dimensions of biodiversity and tourism. The research aims to unlock the potential of biodiversity for promoting sustainable tourism in the region. By prioritizing indigenous livelihoods and biodiversity conservation through community-based management and cultural heritage promotion, a sustainable tourism model can be established. Primary data from stakeholders and secondary research from government and academic publications will inform the study.