Note: This article will be updated to reflect the changes in the ground situation.

Update (14/11/2018 11:40 AM) : Parliamentarians who voted in favour of the No Confidence Motion against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse have signed a motion to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya reconfirming their calls. The majority voted ‘aye’.

Update (26/11/2018 4:30PM) : Following the initial NCM vote, there have been two further votes, both of which led to violent incidents within the parliament, as supporters of Rajapakse refused to accept the outcome. Those of the Rajapakse camp claim the Speaker is being partisan in how he chose to conduct the NCM vote. The Court of Appeal will take up a Writ of Quo Warranto filed by 122 MPs challenging Rajapakse and his purported government's continuation in office on November 30. Meanwhile, a seven-judge bench to hear the petitions against the dissolution of Parliament will be taken up on December 3.

No sooner than Lonely Planet announced Sri Lanka as its #1 travel destination for 2019, governments around the world issued travel advisories warning their citizens about the sudden shift in Sri Lanka’s political climate. Fear not, however, as we’re here to tell you that our doors are still open and why it’s still safe to visit the resplendent island.

So what’s really going on? Well, at the moment of writing this, a few things have happened. Our president and prime minister came under scrutiny as their government, which came to power on a popular platform, could not deliver on its promises. Perhaps in an attempt to avoid responsibility, the president chose to remove the prime minister and appoint a new one, former president Mahinda Rajapakse. The president appointed a cabinet of ministers, issued a gazette to dissolve parliament, and elections have been called for January 2019. This was much to the ire of those opposed to the previous regime and those who uphold the constitution, which does not allow for it. On the other hand, many have been celebrating this change.

In fact, for the most part, it is civil society, concentrated in Colombo, that are riled up about the issue. Everywhere else on the island, from tourist destinations to the rural countryside, peace prevails and life goes on as usual. There has been one incident of violence when a mob attempted to assault a member of parliament and his security personnel fired at them. This happened in the heat of the coup, and since then it has been calm and memes have taken over. Politics is certainly on everyone’s mind, but the hospitality sector, in particular, is never shaken. As Lonely Planet rightly notes, our people defy all odds with our welcome and friendliness.

Be it the tuk driver, surf instructor, waiter or bus conductor, wherever you go, you’re sure to be greeted by a Sri Lankan smile. That’s just a part of our culture and our personality, a curious fact. You’d sometimes stop and marvel at how we manage to maintain this sense of optimism. Some attribute it to short-term memory, that we soon forget our troubles. Others choose to believe that we simply persevere. After having to turn away visitors time and time again over a 30-year conflict, we’ve spent the past decade, post-conflict, inviting the world to share in the delights of this country, and we’re not about to let some political misadventures spoil that.

So what’s in store for Sri Lanka? A Supreme Court hearing on November 12 and 13 led to a stay order on the Gazette. This allowed the parliament to be convened, today. A No Confidence Motion has been called against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse.

Founder of Foozoo Travel, Sri Lanka makes some compelling points

The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) is an international organization and a member-based global organization dedicated to LGBT tourism. The association has a global presence with member businesses in more than 80 countries and global ambassadors in more than 22 countries. The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) was the first gay organization to receive affiliate member status in the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in November 2010. In November 2015 the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association became an orgisational partner with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

The IGLTA Foundation supports the mission of IGLTA and its members through education, research and leadership development that benefits the global LGBTQ tourism industry. And this year saw the launch of the Discovery Series – Voices from LGBTQ Travel Professionals in Emerging Destinations.

The programme, conducted by IGLTA Hall of Fame award winner, Tanya Churchmuch of Much PR saw representatives from small to medium businesses speak about unique challenges they face back home. Participants included representatives from Brazil, Curacao and Uganda.

Contributing to the conversation, founder of Foozoo Travel, Dinesh Perera highlighted that destinations like Sri Lanka offer a multitude of challenges that are complicated by cultural norms and politicisation. His business that is contributing to the economy needs to appeal to international clients that value diversity, safety and authentic experiences yet communicate them in such a way that does not ruffle feathers. He also appealed for cohesive and strategic support in marketing communications, and visibility which organisations like the IGLTA can provide.

Another contributor touched on the important fact that the demographics of International travellers are changing. As marriage equality takes hold around the world and people are becoming more comfortable living their authentic selves, international travellers who identify as LGBTIQ are also increasing. They and their families value businesses and destinations that respect equality. Thus creating a strong business case for equality and non-discriminatory practices.

The Discovery series will continue at future IGLTA conventions and the points discussed in the first meeting will be revisited throughout the coming year. Foozoo Travel on behalf of other businesses like them hope that these discussions will deliver tangible and meaningful results.

Foozoo Travel Sri Lanka’s Dinesh Perera highlights some key observations affecting emerging markets like Sri Lanka

IGLTA 2018 through its programme line-up demonstrated an acute awareness of not only how important LGBTIQ travellers are to the global tourism but also how they are demanding more from their travel destinations. From sustainability practices, disability support, authenticity to acceptance of human rights, LGBTIQ travellers are far more involved and have broad considerations when deciding on where to go. Therefore the panel discussion titled ‘The Intersection of Human Rights and Tourism’ was one of the most well received and powerful moments of the 4 day event in Toronto, Canada.

The panel discussion which was sponsored by AIG was moderated by Fabrice Houdart, Human Rights Officer in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The panel comprised of Kevin Dallas, Chief Executive Officer, Bermuda Tourism Authority, Sean Howell, cofounder & President of Hornet, Helen Kennedy, Executive Director, Eagle Canada Human Rights Trust and Dinesh Perera, Founder of Foozoo Travel, Sri Lanka.

Mr. Fabrice kicked off the panel discussion by highlighting the publication of the Standards of Conduct calling on the private sector to scale up its game in contributing to the much-needed global social change on Human Rights of LGBTI people. He noted that these Standards have already received the support of more than 120 of the largest companies in the world. And this list is fast growing.

Here are a few other extracts from Mr. Fabrice’s opening statement.

“Tourism provides 10% of the world’s GDP, 7% of global trade and as many as one in every 11 jobs globally. Dee (Dinesh Perera) was mentioning yesterday that travel and tourism contributes to 11.6 % of Sri Lanka’s GDP. It is a voice that cannot be ignored and has the power to contribute to expand the historic shift in public attitudes we observed here in North America and need in most places of the World.”

“But business is now increasingly engaged in the fight to extend equality for the LGBT community – we are observing it in Singapore, Uganda or Hong Kong – and, we believe, business today has a critical role to play globally in support of those grassroots movements we see emerging around the world.

At this time of great flux – when huge gains made in many countries in the West, in Latin America and parts of Asia now need to be consolidated and extended, and when LGBT communities are more visible – and in some cases facing pushback – in parts of the world where they were previously relegated to the shadows – we need your help now more than ever to get all companies irrespective of their size and location in this industry to step up in meeting responsibilities and opportunities on the Human Rights of LGBTI people.

Contributing to the panel discussion and responding to questions, Dinesh Perera of Foozoo Travel Sri Lanka gave credit to all the many civil society personalities who have chipped away at the walls that have held LGBTIQ community of Sri Lanka captive. He mentioned that this work continues with added energy and is more and more supported by business enterprises that see it as the right thing to do. And as a business organization that is LGBTIQ owned and catering to that segment, he highlighted their responsibility, fears and complexities in doing business and supporting the community at the same time.

Dinesh also highlighted work done by Foozoo Travel to make the LGBTIQ story more visible. These include openly marketing itself as an LGBTIQ friendly company, enrolling staff, providing training and engaging with other organizations and businesses connected to or supporting LGBTIQ businesses. He also brought attention to how this topic has been politicized, confused and grossly misrepresented by numerous groups. This he said continues to challenge them personally and as a business as the climate towards LGBTIQ persons and work can rapidly turn ugly.

Meanwhile, Kevin Dallas highlighted the international fallout for Bermuda Tourism as a result of changes to the same sex marriage ban. Sean Howell of Hornet touched on how his app is not just bringing community members together but also making positive changes and providing protection for communities in unsafe areas. Helen Kennedy brought in a lot of perspectives on staying engaged with the many stakeholders and staying focused even if it means that it will all take a lot more time.

Speak to Dinesh Perera or Foozoo Travel to transform your business to an LGBTIQ friendly one. Their consultancy platform offers practical and engaging means to educate the management, staff, partners and all stakeholders on being LGBTIQ friendly, accepting and nurturing.