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In order to promote Youth and Domestic Tourism, several Travel Clubs have been set up in varied schools across the country. The theme was ‘Travel to Learn; Learn to Travel’.
At December 2007, there were 25 school travel clubs. Educational Zones covered to date include Galewela, Badulla and Matale.
“Learn to Travel – Travel to Learn”
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The island wide campaign to establish School Travel Societies.
Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, with the participation of Ministries of Tourism in the Provincial Councils, has launched a Youth Travel Scheme based in the schools of the island to encourage the active participation of the youth in tourism industry. Based on forming School Travel Clubs, this scheme is being implemented with several basic objectives.
Objectives:-
- Direct the students towards travel and exploration and inculcate in them an awareness and interest about natural and cultural heritage of Sri Lanka.
- Building up friendship and cordiality among schools and students through Student Exchange Programmes by training them on mutual hospitality in travelling from one area in the island to another.
- Creating awareness among students of the possible maximum benefits of tourism industry and provide them with the necessary knowledge to minimize its adverse effects.
- Creating awareness among students for them to plan for tourism industry related jobs in the future.
- Organizing at least one tour per year.
In addition to organizing educational tours to the places with natural or historical value in the island, these Travel Clubs are expected to carry out several other tasks such as exploring hitherto little known natural and historical tourist attractions in the neighborhood of the schools where these Travel Clubs have been established, bring them to the attention of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and the Ministries of Tourism in the relevant Provincial Councils and developing strategies to keep these towns pleasant, attractive and tourist-friendly.
Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority further intends to implement a scheme to educate the students about Tourism Industry and the concept of Travel Clubs, and to organize seminars, educational workshops, exhibitions and excursion camps.
SLTDA is also planning to introduce foreign student groups to the members of the Travel Clubs and give them an opportunity to exchange ideas through this programme.
In collaboration with the Provincial councils in Sri Lanka SLTDA (Sri Lankan Tourism Development Authority) has organized a special Tourism development program for youth .This program is based on school children.
Main Goals of the program are,
- This program provides students with good understanding of international business of tourism with a wider environment, social and cultural context in which tourism business operates and practice in planning for tourism.
- Make school children aware of the Sri Lankan culture and heritage.
- Develop students’ Skills on tourism planning, echo-tourism and adventure tourism.
- Organize at least one trip for a year.
