The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Travel Operators (SLAITO) has reaffirmed its commitment to put Sri Lanka firmly back in the premier league of touring destinations now that the civil war is over.

Immediate Past President Dirk Grigson described the role of the organization that goes largely unnoticed due to the nuts and bolt aspect of its work as being essentially twofold:

"We are the catalyst that brings every facet of the package holiday together, starting from the initial marketing of Sri Lanka. From this we cover all aspects of ground handling arrangements such as tour advice services, planning itineraries, guide services, transportation, accommodation and much more beside"

Vice President T. M. F. Packeer was keen to add that SLAITO’s is determined to look after the interest of the small to medium entrepreneurs as well as of course have an active role in the bigger picture of sustaining growth.

Packeer went on to explain that " our membership has spurred the association to embark upon numerous training and development programmes in such areas as training tour guides, language and IT competency and customer care. In addition our members provide internship programmes as well as employment to tourism graduates from Sabaragamuwa University."

There was general agreement that one area of the overall tourism mandate that needs to be addressed is the old chestnut of rail travel. Both for domestic and international tourists the standard of rail travel in Sri Lanka is simply unacceptable, which makes a mockery of the recent rise in fares.

There have been calls which have been rebuffed with the excuse of the war for years to have an increase in both the quality and quantity of Observation Cars on the trains, that cover tourist destinations, partuculary up county and SLAITO along with almost everybody else involved in the tourism industry are determined that this must happen sooner rather than later.

Tourists have complained about the low quality of food available in the Observation Cars and it seems absurd that considering the first class scenery on offer for the tourist that they have to put up with third class food. Western tourists can nave trouble adjusting to the local cuisine in the tropical climate and to add further insult to injury they have to sweat it out as air conditioning is not available.

As rail travel will conceivably become the tourist’s first real impression of the country, it is imperative that standards are raised as first impressions are often in irreversible and will put the rest of the industry on the back foot as they struggle to regain the impetus in the hearts and mind of the traveler.

The small investment that would be required to increase the quality of service would quickly be recouped then turned into a profit as word would spread that the train service offers tantalizing natural beauty that road transport does not.

The doyen of British crime writers Agatha Christie immortalized train travel as a thing of glamour not necessity in her world famous novel ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ and nowhere in the book does this involve being squashed into one Observation Car. The need for at least three per train has been accepted, but alas still nothing has been done. Until these affordable and sustainable changes are made both visitors and locals alike will continue to see rail travel as the last resort, at a cost not only to them, but too the environment, as the less cars and coaches on the roads the better.