Proceeding of International Conference on Contemporary Management - 2015 (ICCM-2015), pp 1021-1036 TOURISM INDUSTRY SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES IN ANURADHAPURA Munasinghe, U. ABSTRACT Anuradhapura is a remarkable city to gain more tourist attraction in a productive way. Few cities in Sri Lanka can offer to travelers such a great combination of historical experience, sacred monument features stunning scenery, tanks, and ancient Buddhist temples in such a compact location. But the issue is the entrepreneurs who involve in tourism industry at Anuradhapura, not processing through an effective supply chain. Entrepreneurs provide just the hotels, restaurants as accommodations, foods and other goods and services but they have forgotten to contribute their services to introduce arts, crafts and other values of the city. They do not combine the historical capacity with special attractions of Anuradhapuara community, nature trails and outdoors activities, festivals and special events, traditions and customs and unique travelling opportunities. Tourism is promoted as a stress reliever. Unfortunately, what should be and what is in Anuradhapura are often very different experiences. By this research, it has planned to collect information from both the entrepreneurs and foreigners by questionnaires from survey about the challenges they face and will provide possible solutions. In Anuradhapura, travelers face imprecise language, fine print that does not deliver what is promised, add-on fees, poor customer service and angry employees, sub-quality food, and buildings that are tidy or even sanitary. Because of this dull supply chain of the tourism industry, tourists who come to the city, visit the places by their own, without any guidance and support, cannot gain an adequate experience which harm the industry and ruin the reputation of the city. Keywords: Supply Chain, tourism industry, Anuradhapura, heritage 1. INTRODUCTION vast city. The city is now named as a world Anuradhapura is one of the ancient heritage site by UNESCO. cities in Sri Lanka, well known for its ruins depicting the early Sri Lankan civilization. It Founded around 5th Century BC, is very famous among Buddhists pilgrims. Anuradhapura is the oldest city in the Anuradhapura was earlier the capital of the Cultural Triangle. In its heyday, tens of Island (in ancient times) and most of the thousands of people lived in a city of royal Kings who ruled Sri Lanka resided in this palaces, monasteries, temples topped by The Open University of Sri Lanka [email protected] 1021 glittering jewels, houses of two or three customer service and angry employees, sub- stories, shops, pleasure gardens, bathing quality food, and buildings and locales that pools and wooded parks. Today, the restored are not tidy or even sanitary. Perhaps then the remains of ancient Anuradhapura are dotted greatest challenge for the tourism industry in amidst peaceful parks to the north and west Anuradhapura the coming years is to create a of the modern city. tourism experience that matches the tourists' expectations. By most accounts Anuradhapura is one of the oldest continually-inhabited cities in Supply chain of Anuradhapura tourism the world. It is of particular importance to industry suffer from high prices, security Buddhists, as it is home to a large number of challenges and poor customer service stupas, temples and other holy monuments, standards, which turn reality into difficult some of which are said to contain remains of process. In Anuradhapura, however, has no Gautama Buddha himself. alternative. It is essential that tourism professional see their industry from a long- When consider the tourism industry in term perspective. Anuradhapura, it is obviously most famous city in the country among tourists. But With the exception of some business entrepreneurs who are involved in the travelers, and health and family industry don't operate sufficiently and they emergencies, many tourists can choose not to don't understand fully their customer travel in Anuradhapura. The concept of the behavior. "staycation" (vacationing at home) came about due to the high cost and difficulties of 1.1 Inefficiency in the Supply Chain of travel, the lack of good service, and the fact Tourism Industry of the Area that all too often the hospitality industry has According to the findings of become the "hostility" industry. questionnaires tourists who have traveled in the last year in Anuradhapura has faced the Changing some of travel's negative fact that there the travel experience has some aspects will not be easy in Anuradhapura key challenges in the city. Tourism should area. Marketing can only do limited promote as a stress reliever and a way to operations regarding this matter and when renew both body and soul. Unfortunately hype cease to match reality then customers what should be and what is are often very are confused. Findings prove improving the different experiences in Anuradhapura. travel and tourism experience cannot be done by fiat but rather will require each In too many places, travelers face tourism professional returning to the basic imprecise language, fine print that does not principles of the hospitality industry in deliver what is promised, add-on fees, poor Anuradhapura. To return the industry to a 1022 state of entertainment and hospitality talk to anyone. Not so in Anuradhapura, Sri consider some of the following ideas in this Lanka research. Considering the food of Anuradhapura 1.2 Tourist Attraction of the Area by observation of author local people in Anuradhapura ruins consist of three Anuradhapura likes to feed guests the best classes of buildings, dagobas, monastic way they can. It is called "hostile hospitality" buildings, and pokunas. in the whole country. From Milk rice, Kavum, Kokis and street food to rice and Eight Great Places of Veneration in curries by default food is packaged using a Anuradhapura - Atamasthana Jaya Sri Maha “Nelum leaf” and Anuradhapura offers Bodhi, Ruwanweli saya, Thuparamaya, immense cultural foods which were Lovamahapaya, Abhayagiri Dagaba, fascinated by tourists all over the world. Jetavanarama, MirisavetiStupa and, The lure of the natural environment Lankarama Other structures Isurumuniya, also a key point in Anuradhapura according Magul Uyana, Vessagiri, Rathna Prasadaya, to the authers findings. Anuradhapura city is Queen's Palace, Dakkhina Stupa, SelaCetiya, enriched by trees, rivers, streams, canals, Naka Vihara, Kiribath Vehera, Kuttam tanks and ponds which are nature's best gifts Pokuna, Samadhi Statue, Toluwila Statue that nourish the environment. Still and Ranmasu Uyana (Wikipedia, the free Anuradhapura city is not much polluted encyclopedia) comparing to other cities in country. This fact also fascinates most of the tourists who According to the findings except these visit this area. sacred sites, non domestics tourists are fascinate with the spirituality of the city. As 2. RESEARCH PROBLEM the global community becomes increasingly 2.1 Current Supply Chain Problems in capitalistic, the quest for spirituality has the Tourism Industry grown in urgency. When considering the current supply chain of tourism industry, Anuradhapura's According to the findings which are growing tourism sector can thrive, if only the derived from questionnaires also tourists industry improve on basic requirements to fascinate with the warmth of the local make the tourist destinations are popular in people. In developed countries there is an abroad. Better law & order situation to ongoing trend towards non-interaction. protect and make tourists feel safe; local Whenever possible, modern technological residents educated regarding the fact that facilities ensure people can perform most of helping tourists is in their interest; roads, their daily tasks without actually having to electricity and availability of quality, 1023 affordable hotel rooms; can all play an to its foreign customers. Basically authors important role in boosting the growth of findings prove that some foreigners suffer tourism in the country. Case in point is some from bad qualities, lack of knowledge about areas in Anuradhapura obviously still virgin the sacred places, poor knowledge of the territory for most travelers. language and untruthful behavior of the tourist guides. According to the observations of author, Anuradhapura's tourism has great According to the observations of potential but it is being held back artificially author in Anuradhapura, many tourist though several policies and programmes destinations centre on Buddhists' have been famed for the development of monuments. The most sought after hotels tourism their implementation is not are, therefore, those which are situated in the satisfactory. vicinity. Destinations such as the Ruwanweli Seya, Jethwanaramaya are an attraction to all Government, authorized officers who tourists. Many of these tourists prefer to stay involve in the business and also the citizens for long periods. Thus, cheap hotels which of the city are responsible for this matter. provide basic accommodation and food are common in those places. As a matter of fact, Anuradhapura incidentally offers a pilgrimages in Anuradhapura are the most wide range of tourist destinations, benefit popular tourist places and attract a diverse much from it. It is also a major driver in crowd of tourists. Some are pure devotees, various other sectors. The hotel industry whereas others prefer to tread the particularly, expects a major part of their surrounding places taking their time, still income