By Yakuta Dawood  A surge of complaints and concerns from locals on how they are being treated differently at tourist establishments in Sri Lanka due to their nationality have arisen recently across social media platforms.   The Sunday Morning Business this week spoke to those who had faced discrimination at tourist locations, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), and other relevant associations with regard to this subject.  Jason* on Twitter shared his experience: “I experienced discrimination at a five-star hotel in Hambantota and another hotel in Galle over the Christmas holidays. Yes of course I had a fit with them but they don’t get it and it will repeat…simply, white is better. We [Sri Lanka] really don’t want local tourists, it seems.” Claire*, a local guide, shared an experience faced at a bar in Mirissa: “We went in as a couple. We had to pay Rs. 3,000 for entry. When we noticed some others weren’t paying for entry, they informed us that those from Sri Lanka, India, or Pakistan have to pay an entry fee of Rs. 3,000.”  Adam* also shared his experience on Twitter, stating that there was discrimination down South in Sri Lanka. “Once in Mirissa, a so-called spa refused me directly, saying ‘sorry, only for tourists,’ even though there is no such special licence,” he revealed.  Similarly, speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, local tourists who stayed or visited several hotels and bars and experienced similar incidents shared that the places that discriminated against locals in favour of foreigners did so only to gain a higher income. A local tourist who wished to remain unidentified shared that some places in Unawatuna preferred only foreigners because they could charge them a higher price.   “Locals know the maximum pricing strategies, so they don’t prefer getting us involved because we can question the unfair pricing method. Hence, to avoid such arguments altogether, some hotels have commenced allowing entry to only foreign tourists.”  Another local visitor apprised us that a few selected hotels and restaurants had started discriminating against locals because of the “apparent behaviour” they would or could portray in front of foreigners.   “They are embarrassed sometimes by locals and restrict them from staying at the same hotel as the foreigners,” the local visitor expressed.  Local tourists who have faced such discrimination commented that this type of practice reinforced colonialism and class differences for profit. “These establishments are visibly aimed at non-Sri Lankans, i.e. white people, specifically rich white people who treat us like a tropical getaway. We are a former colony that relies on tourism from our former colonisers and these local owners are chasing away locals.” Another local tourist stated that this discrimination was unacceptable, as Sri Lankan citizens were being denied access to places on their own land areas based on the colour of their skin. She claimed that the deeply-entrenched state of mind within the tourism sector that somehow foreign money was better was a root cause of this issue. “The attitude of ‘foreigners only’ establishments further ingrains putting our own culture and people out of sight, in that our own kind is not seen as good enough to frequent these establishments due to a minority of ill-behaved people,” she said. She explained that such malpractices in the industry created inequality, in which Sri Lankan people become second-class citizens in their own country. What officials have to say  Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, a senior official from the SLTDA who wished to remain anonymous stated that excluding the level 1 hotels operating in Sri Lanka, anyone who encountered discrimination at any other area could send a direct complaint to the Standard and Quality Assurance (SQA) Department of the SLTDA so that further investigations and action could be taken.  “Level 1 hotels are still operating in the bio-bubble, therefore locals are definitely not allowed as it is limited to foreigners only for the safety of everybody. However, if someone is being discriminated against at a hotel operating for both local and international tourists, then they [the local tourists] can send a detailed report and a complaint to the SQA division,” the official explained. Accordingly, with reference to the SLTDA official release, level 1 hotels should be all KPMG-accredited hotels: “Beach properties and independent accommodation (villas) and hotels are exclusively for international guests on seven-day quarantine and outside vendors or guests are not permitted. Guests will have no movement outside the hotel.” The Sunday Morning Business also spoke to district-based associations.  Kandy Hoteliers Association President Rodney Armstrong noted that according to his expertise, the differentiation of locals and tourists could be done by the boutique hotels or lower grade hotels in operation.  “Between two-star and five-star hotels, I don’t think there is any discrimination against Sri Lankans. I can vouch for this in Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. I don’t think these are Tourist Board-approved hotels,” Armstrong stressed. Expressing similar views, The Fortress Resort & Spa Resident Manager Brendon Meurling stated that they had not received any complaints so far and that they catered to locals and foreigners alike. “This is the first time I’m hearing something like this; the hotels we know are catering to locals and foreigners,” he said.  Kalutara Tourist Hoteliers Association President Jude De Silva firmly stated that they had not received any complaints on such discriminatory incidents reported in the Kalutara area and also emphasised that there had been no such issues over the last decade.  “We have no issues with Sri Lankans from our perspective. We treat anybody who comes here equally and we are proud to have Sri Lankans in our resorts,” De Silva added. Meanwhile, the Hikkaduwa Hoteliers Association and a few other people refused to comment on this subject, while attempts to reach other tourist-based associations proved futile. Last Tuesday (18), the SLTDA released a statement asserting that it had taken action with regard to the present discriminatory situation that was being reported.  “Our Constitution affords the equal right to all citizens; where no person shall, on the grounds of race, religion, language, caste, sex, or any one of such grounds, be subjected to any disability, liability, restriction, or condition concerning access to shops, public restaurants, hotels, places of public entertainment and places of worship,” the statement mentioned.  Further, emphasising on the gravity of the present situation, the SLTDA stated that if a formal complaint revealed any discrimination against locals, they would not hesitate to suspend or cancel the license of such an establishment, including informing travellers and notifying online travel agencies to abstain from taking bookings at the relevant facilities.  The SLTDA also expressed gratitude towards tourists by stating that local tourists were individuals who had stood by the tourism industry while it overcame difficult times.  Meanwhile, with the recent increase in tourist arrivals after being impacted due to the pandemic, the Sri Lankan tourism industry is optimistic about reaching its goal of over one million arrivals for 2022. SLTDA Director General Dhammika Wijesinghe told The Sunday Morning Business that according to their research projections, the target for 2022 was 1.1 million arrivals.  She explained that in January alone, their expert had made projections of around 80,000 tourists entering the country. However, Wijesinghe stated that the arrival numbers for both January and 2022 may be higher considering that the first 10 days of the year had attracted a total of 29,420 tourists to Sri Lanka. She stated that if this current trend continued, the country could expect around 92,000 to 95,000 arrivals this month and around 1.3 million arrivals for the year. “By 10 January, we had recorded 29,420 arrivals to Sri Lanka. If we keep up this trend, we can expect more arrivals for January than we estimated. The data has also shown that our biggest markets currently are Russia, India, the UK, Germany, France, Australia, and China,” said Wijesinghe. According to SLTDA data, a total of 194,495 tourists visited Sri Lanka in 2021, a drop of 61.7% from 507,704 in 2020. Most of these tourists were attributed to those coming from the Indian market, which accounted for 29.3% of arrivals, while Russia accounted for 12.1% and the UK 9.5%. The data showcased that arrivals picked up in December 2021, with 89,506 tourists visiting Sri Lanka – an increase from the 393 arrivals in December 2020. Furthermore, data from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) showed that the country earned $ 82 million between January and October 2021.