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Chapter 1: What are the current challenges facing Sri Lanka's tourism industry?
It's feeding time at the elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka. Watching baby elephants run to the feeding stations is a big drawcard for tourists. On this day, though, most are locals. Yes, it's off-season, but since the start of the conflict in the Middle East in February, tourism has taken a dive in this country of 21 million people.
This is really, really bad because we have a lot of cancellation starting for the fighting. Like two, three nights, all the bookings are cancelled.
Completely ruined. The war began. Since then, it's went down, you know.
It's not just tourism.
This machinery, ma'am, very old. Look very old, you know. Almost 100 years still working.
Inside Labukele, the largest tea factory in Sri Lanka, the machines work round the clock.
Factory running, ma'am, 24 hours. Three chip time working. Eight hours, eight hours working.
Tea makes up nearly a quarter of this country's exports, but shipments to its biggest customers, Iran and other Middle Eastern states, have stopped.
We don't exporting now, not much exporting. So you're holding on to it? Yes. Are you producing the same amount of tea? Yes, ma'am, because, ma'am, the leaves, you can't keep it long time, no? But the tea, we keep it three years, four years, no problem. We don't much exporting this moment. Thank you. Oh, you hold on to it? Yes, ma'am.
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Chapter 2: How is climate change impacting Sri Lanka's agriculture?
We are depending on tourism. And if we lose that trade, it means it is the tourism that dragging us back to that crisis again.
What does it mean for people like you, you know, for Sri Lankans to be caught up in this fuel crisis and heading towards what you think is an economic crisis? What does it mean to your everyday lives?
It means total collapse, actually. Only purpose is to exit from this crisis alive.
You'd think from that grim message that it's all doom and gloom. But on board the legendary Ella Rail journey through the mist-covered mountains, the seats are filled with internationals and locals buying peanuts, chai and fresh fruit from vendors. And in Ella itself, there are plenty of backpackers. Nilu owns Chamoydia Guesthouse.
Yes, it's a beautiful city and there's a lot of hiking and waterfalls and many monkeys here. It's cute. Then it's here to walking everywhere like a terminate.
What sort of nationalities are you getting here? Who are these tourists?
Most are Indian, but are the Netherlands and Switzerland and England.
You know, when we first came here, you were saying it was very difficult, that you had many cancellations.
Yes, we have a lot of cancellations. Like when starting for the fighting, like two, three nights, all the bookings are cancelled. It's a really bad situation for us because we have six months for the season, but one night, two nights, all the bookings are cancelled.
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Chapter 3: What role does tourism play in Sri Lanka's economy?
That also affected the tourism.
It shut down the town.
Shut down the towns and the roads being closed, you know. All the landslides came down, you know.
A lot of Sri Lankans who we've talked to have told us about how someone in their family has gone to Dubai to get work.
Not only Dubai, most of the Gulf area, you know.
But with the war on, most of those relatives who've been sending money home from the Gulf states are coming home. The outlook is gloomy, but in this mainly Buddhist country, it's festival time. Small buildings lining the streets are decorated with white lanterns, and on the roadsides, people are handing out free drinks and food.
This is a country used to crises, from the civil war that lasted more than 25 years to COVID shutdowns and catastrophic economic collapse that ended in 2022. It was during that crisis that people faced fuel rationing. Now it's happening again and the QR system has been revived. I'm at a petrol station just outside of Colombo getting gas with Rashaan Nelson who's a tour guide and a driver.
Now Rashaan, are we getting some diesel?
Yes, we come to fill some diesel.
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