Resembling a teardrop in shape if not in size, Sri Lanka is located off the coast of India in the ocean of the same name. Considering that the island nation, which, until 1972, was better known as Ceylon, has seen its fair share of catastrophes and keeps being torn by crises, it would not be all that surprising to see its inhabitants shed some tears themselves from time to time. Currently, the former British colony is stricken by an ongoing economic crisis, and private car owners have to make do with 40 litres of petrol per vehicle per week while many imported goods are no longer available due to severe embargos that have been put in place in order to boost the local economy. The average annual income is less than USD 4,000 and the majority of the population lives in incredibly simple conditions. However, you’d be hard pressed to encounter hard feelings, sadness or other negative emotions; the majority of people seem cheerful and extremely friendly and helpful.
Looking ahead
Naturally rich, yet so poor, the country is full of contrasts and diversity, be it in terms of landscapes, fauna, flora or ethnicities, with the majority of the population either being of Sinhalese or Tamil origin. The multicultural makeup resembles a linguistic and religious caleidoscope and is reflected in the numerous festivities with their colourful parades, most of which are of a spiritual nature. At least superficially, it seems as though the different cultures are coexisting peacefully, however, appearances can be deceitful. For close to 30 years, armed conflicts with a separatist organisation known as the "Tamil Liberation Tigers" turned the north of Sri Lanka into a restricted area, making it a no-man's land for tourists until the civil war ended in 2009. And even though the problems between Sinhalese and Tamils have not been eradicated completely and conflicts flare up here and there from time to time, travellers can now move around the island freely and without fear of being caught up in a dispute. Visitor numbers are almost back to where they were in pre-pandemic times. The country welcomed close to two million visitors in 2019 – a steep increase from 2011, when numbers were below one million. Most of the tourists still stay on what used to be considered the safe side of the imaginary demarcation line, with only the most discerning venturing to the far north and “classic” holidaymakers sticking to the beaches in the south and the west. But even those moving in a relatively small area will find it hard to choose between all the riches that Sri Lanka has to offer.
Lush greenery in a multitude of shades covers the island, whose mountainous highlands dominated by tea plantations and forests represent a sharp contrast to the lowlands with almost 1,800 kilometres in coastline, large parts of which were devastated by the tsunami in December 2004. While today all traces of destruction have disappeared, memorials to commemorate the victims of the disaster have been erected in those parts that were hardest-hit. These days, there is a real construction boom along sections of the coast in the southwest and south. Hotels and resorts aimed at a hip crowd of surfers, yogis and influencers seem to be springing up all over the place. It is obvious that people are looking forward and preparing for a major boom in tourism … hear more in the podcast (German only)
