Abstract:
Tourism enterprises, products and experiences, market environments, and destinations have all
undergone major transformations due to digital technologies. The traditional roles of tourism
producers and customers have also been changed by digitalisation, with the emerging new roles,
partnerships, business models, and competencies. Therefore, paying attention to these developments is
essential to make Sri Lanka a better tourist destination. As such, the present study explores the digital
presence of tourist accommodation establishments in Sri Lanka with the intention of providing insights
into a national digital strategy. The study is exploratory in nature and adopts an internet-based
research methodology while reviewing relevant literature. The study found that most Star Class,
Unclassified, and Boutique Hotels in Sri Lanka have a website and facilitate their customers to book
their accommodation through the website equipped with a booking engine. In comparison, most guest
houses, heritage bungalows, heritage homes, homestay units, hostels, rented apartments, and rented
homes do not have a website. It was also found that many tourist accommodation service providers who
provide their services through third-party online booking platforms are not registered with the Sri
Lanka Tourism Development Authority. This trend has been identified as a standard and compliance
risk for all stakeholders in the industry. This study would be helpful for policymakers to understand the
growing importance of these platforms and introduce incentives and appropriate guidelines for the
sustainability of the tourism industry in Sri Lanka.
