Urban Tourism: Designing a Tourism Space in the Post-war City Context for Sustainability
https://doi.org/10.36777/jag2023.2.2.1
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36777/jag2023.2.2.1Keywords:
Jaffna city, Post-war, Sustainability, Tourism space, Urban tourismAbstract
Tourism is widely recognised as a potential tool for poverty alleviation, economic diversification and regeneration, social integration, peacebuilding, post-conflict stabilisation, and socioeconomic recovery in post-conflict regions. Urban tourism, in particular, can contribute to urban sustainability by integrating tourism development with the protection of natural resources, cultural heritage, architectural assets, and environmental quality while responding to the dynamic processes of urban change. This study aims to assess the issues and challenges affecting urban tourism development and to propose strategies for promoting sustainable urban tourism in Jaffna City. The study employed both primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected through direct field observations, structured questionnaire surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews, while secondary data were obtained from official statistical reports and other relevant sources. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistical methods, and a SWOT analysis was conducted to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with sustainable urban tourism development in Jaffna. Maps of the study area were prepared using ArcGIS 10.4. The findings indicate that inadequate environmental protection, insufficient infrastructure, limited tourism-related professional capacity, cultural barriers to tourism promotion, ineffective marketing strategies, weak institutional coordination, and limited diversification of tourism products are major challenges to sustainable urban tourism development in Jaffna City. Based on the identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, the study proposes recommendations to support more sustainable urban tourism development and assist relevant stakeholders in planning and managing Jaffna's tourism sector.
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