Abstract:
Tourism has witnessed significant growth and evolution, embracing new concepts
to engage diverse stakeholders. Niche tourism, which tailors specific products to
cater to distinct tourist segments have emerged as a notable strategy. Sri Lankan
coconut industry holds immense importance, serving as a crucial source of foreign
exchange, employment, and sustenance in rural livelihoods. Exploiting the
potential of coconut-related activities, coconut tourism can be developed as a
niche tourism segment, encompassing sustainable, nature-based, and eco-friendly
practices. Market analysis plays a pivotal role in creating successful tourism
products, this study aims to identify the prospects and conduct a market analysis
for the development of coconut tourism in Sri Lanka, considering the perspectives
of key stakeholders involved in the coconut and tourism industries. Thus, primary
data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 06 tourists in Ella,
employing convenience sampling, and through the snowball sampling technique
with 13 other key stakeholders. The qualitative approach and thematic analysis
were applied to examine the transcribed data. The findings of this study based on
SWOT analysis, a map of stakeholders and their role, value chain, and marketing
mix under the 7p’s to developing coconut tourism as a niche tourism segment in
Sri Lanka. Further, the findings encompass that there are a number of strengths
and opportunities rather than weaknesses and threats to developing coconut
tourism as a niche tourism segment in Sri Lanka, with significant interest and
power of the key stakeholders of Government Bodies and policymakers, Tourists,
Travel agencies and tour operators, Accommodation providers, Coconut
manufacturers, and exporters. Moreover, the findings of the study revealed the
way private sector companies work with the government and civil society to add
value to the development of coconut tourism in Sri Lanka with a clearly defined
and clarified marketing mix for coconut tourism with significant components for
each mix. Additionally, this study provides recommendations and technical
insights to foster the growth of coconut tourism, harmonizing the coconut and
tourism industries in Sri Lanka. The analysis of the market and optimal resource
utilization facilitates the creation of new tourism products that cater to niche
categories of tourists, offering a viable solution for the sustainable development
of tourism in Sri Lanka under the concept of re-thinking tourism.
