Sri Lanka knocks spots off safari operators
Sri Lanka authorities have cracked down on safari companies operating in the country’s remote Yala National Park, famous for its leopard population.
The park has been closed to the major tour operators following anger among Yala safari guides, who complained that the bigger companies were building permanent camps in the park, defying regulations.
The sudden ban became effective on Sunday and applied to tourists who had already booked safari tours of the park.
Conservationists in Sri Lanka have ben warning that aggressive behaviour by safari operators in some national parks has endangered the wildlife and the ecology of wilderness areas.
“It’s become a status thing – everyone wants to put the leopard shot on Facebook,” said one conservationist.
The BBC reported earlier this year, after a visit to Yala national park by its correspondent Charles Haviland, that safari vehicles were breaking speed limits and that “marauding behaviour by drivers and tourists is grossly insensitive to fauna and flora”.
“The bad behaviour is all in aid of spotting the beautiful and elusive leopard – or drivers trying to show one to tourists hoping it will get them a fat tip,” said the BBC.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt