From tsunami to recovery: the resilience of the Sri Lankan tourism industry.

Abstract

This chapter examines the impact the 2004 tsunami had on the tourism industry in Sri Lanka, the response by government and other organizations, and the level of adaptation and resilience that resulted from the response. The chapter suggests that the government must coordinate with the tourism industry in order to expedite the crisis recovery process. Although the central government and its tourism ministry and departments were heavily involved in the tsunami response, regional and local tourism organizations were much less active, either because most were affected by the tsunami or because of ineffective coordination with central government institutions. Therefore the tourism industry may have become less resilient in the long term.