Hospitality and Exclusion: a Political Economy Analysis of the Tourism Industry in Post-war Sri Lanka.
23 Jan 2017 by Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA)
Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) cordially invites you to a CEPA Cafe event on: Hospitality and Exclusion: a Political Economy Analysis of the Tourism Industry in Post-war Sri Lanka.
Six years after the end of the civil war, Sri Lanka is ambitiously pursuing a model of development which includes large-scale transformations in industrial and tourism infrastructure intended to fuel socio-economic advancement, upward mobility and the empowerment of all Sri Lankan peoples. A study conducted by CEPA for the Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium (SLRC), focusing on the tourism industry, examines the extent to which political, economic, social and cultural factors in Passidukah, their changes and continuities from war time to the post-war period, and relations with state and non-state actors, complicate glib pronouncements linking economic prosperity to peace. The study suggests while some individuals have been able to leverage the opportunities brought about by the tourism industry, the benefits from Passikudah’s ‘resort economy’ have in many ways evaded much of the local population, creating an ‘enclave industry’, characterized by low levels of local employment and locally sourced products, that pushes people into precarious subsistence and informal-level work. The study reveals interesting gender dynamics with respect to women’s work outside the home, women negotiating space within resorts and hotels and tackling reputational risks of stepping outside of assigned gender roles.
The event will be at: 4.30 pm—6.00 pm, on 26th January 2017 at the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA), 29, R.G. Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo 07.
Presenters:
Vagisha Gunasekara
Vijay Nagaraj
If you would like to attend, please RSVP hasanthi@cepa.lk or 011 4690215
