Symposia & Conferences
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Item The Journey from the Tongas to Trains(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Radhakrishnan, I.This paper proposes to celebrate the first and only steam engine of South Asia, the NMR – Nilgiri Mountain Railway. There is an immediate need for the preservation of this Heritage icon of the Nilgiris Hills. An introduction to the origin, history, and difficulties in laying the railway line. Its importance in the Nilgiri economy and tourism, and the growing demand it deems. The need to conserve it as a heritage train of India. Various suggestions and improvements for better performance, including other facilities relevant to it is the need of the day. UNESCO has recognized its heritage status, and must be maintained as it plays a leading role in the economy of this previous British hill station.Item TUK- TUKS(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Sandakumari, W.D.I.; Sandakumari, W.D.I.The arrival of the first three-wheelers in Srilanka was not 3decades ago, as many people think, but in the 19th century. Gradually radio taxis were introduced for Colombo residents, alongside auto-rickshaw three-wheelers imported from India. Presently three-wheelers are popular in rural villages; highly in the hill country. The fact that we called a TUK-TUK today is known in India as an auto rickshaw is a clue to its descent in design and convenience from the hand-pulled rickshaws of the late 19th century. Rickshaws were popular with early 20th century visitors for sightseeing. The rickshaw gave its name to the auto rickshaw (which is commonly known as TUK-TUK or three wheeler in SL). The recently introduced new model 4-stroke auto-rickshaw with three wheels has actually descended from the popular two wheel Italian-made scooter, the Vespa. In 1926, Jamaal Bajaj, an adopted son of Mahatma Gandhi, founded the Bajaj Auto Company in India. In 1956 a cab was added to the design and the three-wheeler became known as the Piaggio Ape. Three wheeler transport mode is very popular in cities. Some people add the various sayings behind the three-wheeler. Three wheeler transport mode has a culture. Some three-wheelers are used to promote tourism. Today the three-wheeler taxi or ‘TUK -TUK’ is the transport of Sri Lankans or tourists who want to get somewhere in a hurry.Item Promoting Railway Tourism in Si Lanka(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Rathnayake, S.; Rathnayake, S.Accessibility is one of the main components in tourism destination. Traveling by train is a famous accessibility method of the tourism industry. Railway tourism or train tourism is not a new concept. It dates back to late 1800s, when railway were developed and expanded many sectors of the world. This study is a desk research about the development of railway tourism, Indian railway market and identifies issues of Sri Lankan railway tourism and promoting furthermore. The basis of foundation of railway tourism was placed by the United Kingdom. As our main industry competitor, India has utilized their railway potentials for the tourism industry in a profitable manner. Tour operators use good marketing campaigns and introduce flexible packages to increase railway tourist market. Although there are many resources in Sri Lanka as well, those have not been properly used. Travel companies in Sri Lanka, giving chance for travelers to experience the train tours as a part of their main tour package. Mainly “JF tours” and “Exporails” travel companies promote railway tourism in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) with the collaboration of Railway department, plans to launch a new accommodation project in railway stations. To face the competition, Sri Lanka has to have a good plan together with private and public sectors. Moreover, it is essential to use powerful marketing strategies to attract more railway travellers to the destination.Item Promoting Elephant Friendly Tourism in Sri Lanka(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Dissanayake, D.M.M.I.Sri Lanka has been identified as one of the most popular destinations in the world by many travel experts. Despite the many attractions, there is one thing that tourists visiting Sri Lanka never miss – the Elephants, who hold a dominant position in the country’s religions, both Buddhism and Hinduism, nature and culture. The relationship between elephants and Sri Lankans has deep roots where elephants are always treated as a symbol of strength, prosperity and pride. Many tourists visit Sri Lanka engaging in activities such as elephant safaris, elephant back rides, feeding baby elephants, witnessing/ participating cultural events which use elephants. With this background it can be identified that elephants play a vital role in Sri Lankan tourism industry. However, currently the elephant tourism sector faces two major challenges which should be addressed urgently but carefully as well. More than 100 global travel companies have agreed to stop selling and promoting destinations where elephant rides and shows take place and are discouraging travelers from visiting such places which will severely affect the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. On the other hand, the Sri Lankan elephant population is declining continuously as a result of the destruction of elephant habitats. Therefore conserving these gentle giants is of utmost importance. With this background, the main objective of this paper is to identify the ways and means of promoting elephant friendly tourism in Sri Lanka while ensuring the conservation of elephants. The data was collected through discussions, observations and interviews. The study identified several ways of promoting elephant friendly tourism in Sri Lanka. Mainly, it identified that domestication of elephants, especially targeting the tourism industry is one of the means of elephant conservation. However, with a great awareness of animal rights and welfare, the process will be challenging for the authorities. Therefore, they should be concerned with domesticating elephants within a strong regulatory framework ensuring the rights and welfare of elephants to promote elephant friendly tourism in Sri Lanka.Item The Ethics of Elephant Tourism with a View to Increasing the Welfare of the Elephants and People of Sri Lanka(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Barborich, A.L.Elephant tourism in general presents many ethical challenges related to animal rights and / or the duty of humans to animals. These ethical dilemmas are further complicated by the endangered status of many elephant species and the economically alluring trade in elephant tourism. Sri Lanka is uniquely placed to benefit from its elephants and elephant tourism may benefit from the long association between elephants and man in Sri Lankan culture. This cultural affinity, even reverence for elephants, can be helpful in designing measures to create ethical elephant tourism in Sri Lanka. However, the realities of Sri Lanka being a developing country, increased Human Elephant Conflict (HEC), Sri Lanka’s underfunded wildlife conservation resources and unregulated land development mean that the ethical considerations of elephant tourism are often neglected. This paper attempts to determine what an ideal elephant management programme would consist of in Sri Lanka and where the current situation falls short of this ideal. This evaluation must necessarily consider the welfare of both wild and domesticated elephants and the impact of any newly proposed measures on the people and institutions who are involved in managing both types of elephants. Elephant tourism operates at the nexus of ethics, economics and Sri Lankan culture. For this reason any approach to elephant management and conservation must be holistic in order to determine the best and most pragmatic approach to the creation of ethical elephant tourism in Sri Lanka.Item Prevalence and Patterns of Complex PTSD in Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus)(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Rizzolo, J.B.; Bradshaw, G.A.Prior scientific analysis has demonstrated the presence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in African elephants (Loxodonta africana) due to human activities (Bradshaw et al., 2005). However, only limited attention has been directed to the effects of captivity on elephant psychologically-mediated health. This is the first study to formally assess a population of captive-held Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) for psychophysiological symptoms of Complex PTSD (c-PTSD), a pervasive form of PTSD that arises from repetitive and prolonged trauma (Herman, 1992). Methodological tools validated for assessment of c-PTSD in nonhuman animals (Bradshaw et al., 2008; Capaldo & Bradshaw, 2009) were used to assess Asian elephants (N=53) during a two-month field study at two elephant sanctuaries in Thailand. Of these elephants, the majority of whom had previously been used for riding, street begging, logging, and/or circus-type shows, 74% exhibited symptom clusters of c-PTSD (Briere & Spinazzola, 2005). Symptoms of altered stress and emotional regulation (e.g. impaired socialization; severely diminished ability to regulate stress) and mood disturbances (e.g. anxiety; aggression) were exhibited by 53% of the elephants. 42% demonstrated hyper-vigilance or an overestimated sense of environmental danger, 38% showed avoidance or tension reduction behaviors (e.g., stereotypies; self-injury), and 34% exhibited post-traumatic stress (fear at a trauma-related stimulus). However, in post-trauma settings of sanctuaries who exercised principles reflective of trauma recovery, elephants who formed positive social bonds with mahouts and other elephants at these sanctuaries demonstrated partial alleviation of symptoms compared to their symptom profiles at arrival, suggesting the potential of the mahout-elephant relationship and the restoration of species-normative socialization as mechanisms of trauma recovery. Elephants who had experienced developmental traumas such as premature maternal separation exhibited the most persistent symptoms. This study offers an empirical analysis of the link between human cultural practices (different forms of elephant tourism) and elephant psychophysiology.Item How does the Tourism Industry of Sri Lanka Encourage the Elephant Commercialization?(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Gunasekara, I.Tourism is an industry where everything could be converted into a profit. There are numerous concepts and attractions which introduced ultimately, to meet various types of travel expectations. People travel for many intentions and stick to their interested areas. Culture, nature, humans, urbanization or westernization may be key areas of travel interests. There could be identified much attention to cultural tourism in Sri Lankan Tourism Industry. Elephant is a very attractive and unique creature in Sri Lankan culture and society. It has gained importance in cultural perspectives and also in natural perspectives. At present, elephants have become a functional attraction is Sri Lankan Tourism. This has encouraged the commercialization of these living beings similar to other tourism goods or services. Moreover, elephant based attractions and services industry has developed inside the country in an unethical manner. This became a questionable area in animal rights and cultural ethics. The means of elephant commercialization, ethical concerns in community towards this commercialization, the areas should be corrected to be ethically accepted, suggestions for sustainable use of elephants in tourism are the segments covered by this qualitative research attempt.Item Involvement of Travel Agencies in Sri Lanka to promote Museums in tourism industry through the medium of tour packages(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Weerasingha, I.In Sri Lanka, travel agencies are prominent in tourism industry in promoting cultural heritages through the medium of tour packages. A tour package is an effective promotional method in attracting tourists at the popular and even lesser known heritage attractions. Though there are more than 100 private and state museums located in the country, mostly Colombo National Museum is being highly promoted in tourism industry. This study discusses how the museums are being promoted for the tourists in the industry via tour packages. Tour packages are offered as two categories such as tailor-made and ready-made packages, but the research is based on the ready-made tour packages offered by the travel agencies. Research problem is ‘how far do travel agencies in Sri Lanka support in promoting museums through tour packages?’ Major objective of the research is to identify the involvement of the travel agencies in promoting museums in Sri Lanka. Minor objectives are to identify ‘what are the travel agencies involving in promoting museums, to observe particular museum which are being promoted by the agencies and to identify promotional strategies practiced by the travel agencies in promoting museums’. Both primary and secondary data were used while primary data were collected from a sample of 25 travel agencies with their official web sites where culture based tour packages are advertised in several ways. It was identified that a considerable amount of travel agencies have not included museums in their tour packages and mostly 90% of agencies promote Colombo National Museum and it is only 20% of agencies have included museum as a symbol of promoting tour packages. Since museum is prominent in cultural heritage in a country, it is the responsible of the travel agencies as a service provider in the tourism sector, to promote not only the Colombo National Museum but also the other national museums, site museums, private museums, and state museums which are significant in various aspects of heritage in Sri Lanka.