research topics on tourism in sri lanka

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Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes

ISSN : 1755-4217

Article publication date: 3 November 2022

Issue publication date: 16 November 2022

The goal of this paper is to narrate about tourism in Sri Lanka in the context of the current pandemic and other challenges and identify innovative solutions to rebuild tourism.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study was undertaken by employing mainly secondary data sources.

Since the 26-year long civil war in Sri Lanka ended in 2009, tourism grew to unprecedented levels over the next ten years. Sri Lanka had formulated strategies to attract six million tourists and US$ 10 billion earnings by 2025. Tourism had been the third highest foreign exchange earner of the country representing over 5% of GDP, around 500,000 employees. The 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks that killed 269 people severely affected tourism. Within a year of the attacks, the global COVID-19 pandemic further impacted tourism further. The current war in Europe added to the problems of Sri Lanka, which in 2022 plunged to its worse economic and political crisis. The protesters against the political corruption and fiscal mismanagement demanded the resignation of the President, Prime Minister and the Cabinet. In spite of these major challenges, this paper attempts to bring some optimism about the future potential of tourism in Sri Lanka.

Originality/value

This paper suggests 12 key measures and 9 suggestions for innovation to rebuild tourism in Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2030.

• Financial crisis
• Re-building

Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the contributions made by Professor Suranga Silva of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, to this article.

Jayawardena, C. (2022), "What innovations would enable tourism in Sri Lanka to re-build?", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes , Vol. 14 No. 6, pp. 586-595. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-06-2022-0070

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Assessment of tourism impact of Sri Lanka – A Research Proposal

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International tourism industry as an important economic sector has many of social, cultural and economic impacts on the economy of destination. This study investigated the role of international tourism income in economy of selected countries. The distribution pattern of international tourism income within OECD and G77 countries was followed. Totally 105 countries were selected including thirty three OECD and seventy two G77 countries. Based on the position of these countries in GDP per capita ranking, OECD and G77 countries were classified respectively in two groups – high-income countries and medium-income countries within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; developing countries and least developed countries within G77. International tourism information of the countries was analyzed by Minitab, using correlations and principal component analysis. International tourism information includes annual receipts of international tourism industry, share of international tourism receipts in GDP and its growth in a period of ten years and etc. The results indicated that, although the OECD countries had the largest share of tourism receipts in the world, the contribution of international tourism income to GDP in these countries posted negative growth in a period of ten years. Conversely, this growth experienced a positive trend for G77 countries. Therefore, in order to approach the Millennium Goals in poverty alleviation, the pattern of international tourism income distribution can be taken into serious consideration. Also the results show the importance of a common problem in international tourism industry of developing countries. The problem is this fact that the big part of international tourism income doesn’t reach the local economy. Innovation of this research is the detailed comparison of developed and developing countries, dividing the each of them into two sub-groups, and the finding an interesting trend which attracts the scientific and practical attention. Key words: international tourism, economic growth, developed and developing countries, tourism income.

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Rebound of Sri Lanka’s Tourism sector: RIUNIT report

The Research Intelligence Unit (RIUNIT) has released a comprehensive report shedding light on the current state of the Sri Lankan Travel and Tourism sector. Despite the challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic crises, the data reveals promising trends in tourist arrivals and spending, indicating a gradual recovery in the industry, paving the way for ample opportunities for investors to explore. 

In an exclusive interview with the research team, Chalaka Gajabahu, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said that “the 2023 tourist arrival trends paint an optimistic picture, especially when reflecting on the circumstances of the past year. We have successfully accelerated the recovery process despite numerous challenges, from the onset of the COVID- 19 pandemic to the recent economic crisis. In contrast to our competitors such as Malaysia, India, and Vietnam, who did not experience economic challenges, our recovery, when compared to theirs in numbers, stands out significantly. We anticipate an even more substantial year ahead for us. We are currently formulating a comprehensive plan that will be unveiled in the coming month”

The report indicates a notable surge in tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka, reflecting renewed confidence in travel. In 2022, there was a significant year-on-year growth of 270.18%, with a total of 719,978 visitors. The trend has continued into 2023, with tourist arrivals totaling 904,318 from January to August, surpassing the entire year's arrivals in 2022.

After a sharp decline in 2020 and 2021, tourism receipts saw a slight increase in 2022, reaching US$1,136.30 million. The first two quarters of 2023 also showed positive signs, with receipts totaling US$503.9 million in Q1 and US$371.1 million in Q2.

Tourism receipts Q1 2022 - Q2 2023

Source: Compiled by the Research Intelligence Unit (RIUNIT) with data from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka continues to attract tourists from diverse regions, with major Middle Eastern, Indian, European, and Asian carriers contributing to the country's popularity. In 2022, Sri Lankan Airlines held the highest market share at 33.3%, followed by Qatar Airways and Emirates.

In a significant turn of events, several international airlines that had temporarily suspended or significantly reduced their operations to Sri Lanka during the global COVID-19 pandemic have now resumed full-time operations. 

Airlines that have recently resumed operations, launched new services, or commenced scheduled operations Thai AirAsia Resumed Operations, Air China Resumed Operations, Air Seychelles Launches a New Service, Uzbekistan Airways Resumed Operations, Alliance Air Resumed Operations Air France Resumed Operations, Azur Air Resumed Operations Aeroflot-Russian Airlines Resumed Operations, THAI Smile Airways

Launches a New Service

Source: Compiled by the Research Intelligence Unit (RIUNIT) with data from the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited 

“Several international airlines that temporarily suspended or significantly reduced their operations to Sri Lanka during the global COVID-19 pandemic have now resumed full-time operations as passenger demand have rebounded and the payload is met. Among these airlines are QATAR Airways, SINGAPORE AIRLINES, and Emirates,” Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka (Private) Limited

The report provides insights into fluctuations in cruise line arrivals to major ports, with March 2024 emerging as the busiest month. The data indicates a growing interest in cruise tourism, with various cruise lines choosing Sri Lanka as a destination.

Total upcoming cruise arrivals to major ports by month Nov. 2023 - Apr. 2024

Source: Compiled by the Research Intelligence Unit (RIUNIT) with data from CruiseDig

The complete RIUNIT report on the Sri Lankan Travel and Tourism sector can be accessed on the organisation's website. Interested parties can visit RIUNIT website to access the full report to gain in-depth insights into the industry's current state, emerging trends, and potential investment opportunities.

The Research Intelligence Unit is a London based think tank with a strong presence in Asia and recently celebrated 20 years of service in Sri Lanka.

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Research and Promotion – the Need of the Hour for Sri Lanka’s Tourism Industry

An Interview with Momina Saqib, Country Director Sri Lanka – Market Development Facility

Those of us within the industry frequently discuss the immense potential of tourism to make a massive contribution to Sri Lanka’s economic growth. That is the underlying reason we persevere in the face of many challenges, and strive to improve the sector through initiatives such as the Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance. The potential of tourism in Sri Lanka has also been recognised by many international organisations, who believe it has the ability to positively impact the country’s economic growth, create jobs and opportunities, and help develop communities across the island.

MDF is a program funded by the Australian government, which is doing a significant amount of work for the development of tourism, as well as other sectors in Sri Lanka. The Alliance had the opportunity to speak with Momina Saqib, the Country Director for Market Development Facility (MDF) Sri Lanka , regarding what MDF hopes to help Sri Lanka achieve through its involvement and support. The following is based on the insights shared by Momina during our discussion.

Striving to Increase Income Earning Opportunities

MDF is present across a number of countries in the Asia Pacific region, including Sri Lanka. The objective of the project, in all locations, is to increase sustainable income earning opportunities for disadvantaged groups, including women and those with disabilities. This can be in the form of new jobs, increased income or new income-earning opportunities.

MDF works with existing firms, government departments and private sector associations who are already present in the economy. What MDF brings to the table is innovation, expertise and best practices that can help improve performance. This is how the project ensures that any opportunity it creates for disadvantaged groups sustains long after its involvement finishes.

In Sri Lanka, MDF’s objectives are similar to its objectives in all markets – creating income opportunities for disadvantaged groups. Although the project wants to create as many inclusive opportunities as possible, it has to make choices regarding which areas it gets involved in. This choice is made based on the degree of impact the industry has on the community, and its potential to uplift lives and increase income earning capacity.

Momina says that tourism is a sector that MDF has identified as being important for Sri Lanka. Beyond that, their work is also involved in other sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, and developing new opportunities in value chains that sustain disadvantaged groups. The approach followed by MDF is to get people within these industries to work together with Sri Lankan businesses, associations or government departments, so that they can innovate, improve performance, improve products and services and improve competitiveness, to operate at a global level.

The goal is to ensure that Sri Lanka can leverage its competencies, whether it is the island’s natural beauty and attractions when it comes to tourism, or whether it is products like spices, herbs or crafts.

The Potential of Sri Lanka’s Tourism Industry

Momina believes that Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has immense potential to have a significant and lasting impact on the development of the country. She highlights the following as examples of what tourism can achieve from an economic and social perspective.

Ripple effect on multiple sectors – The relevance of tourism to Sri Lanka is massive if you consider both the direct and indirect impact it has on so many sectors, including transport, agriculture and fishing. The growth of tourism can improve the livelihoods of those who are indirectly connected to the sector, such as farmers supplying produce to hotels and restaurants, or craftsmen making souvenirs and trinkets.

Jobs and inclusivity – If tourism grows sustainably, it opens numerous opportunities and creates jobs in a number of areas. It can also increase the participation of women in the workforce, an area that Sri Lanka lags behind in, when compared with global benchmarks.

Community growth – Tourism growth can support communities that don’t always have many opportunities. Sri Lanka is transitioning into a service-based economy, the farming population is ageing, so you can see that people are looking at alternate opportunities of employment. Tourism is a sector that provides opportunities for upward mobility, to learn new skills, to access urban jobs, to grow into a job, all of which are fundamentally important for Sri Lanka as it transitions into a developed economy.

The Importance of Focussing on High-Value Tourism

While MDF supports many areas of tourism development in the country, a key question the team has asked is – what type of tourism is vital to support Sri Lanka’s sustainable growth agenda? Momina says that MDF strongly believes in the importance of Sri Lanka adopting a strategy that promotes high-value tourism.

High-value tourism does not just refer to high spending travellers. Instead, what is meant by high-value visitors are those who are interested in more authentic, community experiences. Travellers who engage with the Sri Lankan people, travelling to a wider geographic area, rather than limiting their travels to cities or popular touristy towns and emerge in authentic local experiences. The opportunity is to foster authentic experience development or support marketing to potential visitors who are interested in the culinary tradition of Sri Lanka, or those who are more into adventure, wellness or wildlife. If you target these different groups, then a lot more Sri Lankans can get involved in providing these services and hosting experiences. For example, communities in Mannar can offer birding experiences, those in Kitulgala can target adventure seekers, while people in Colombo can provide cultural or culinary experiences. A wider dispersion of the tourist dollar is something that is important to MDF.

High-value visitors are also focussed on sustainable, responsible business practices, which means there is more awareness on the part of the consumer. This also compels businesses to become more aware of sustainable practices and take the initiative to implement them.

As Momina highlights, at the end of the day, the reality is that there is a limit to the growth of tourism; there is a finite number of tourists that can come to Sri Lanka without the destination losing its value, without the ecological value of an attraction, or Sri Lanka’s natural resources being depleted. So, it really is a trade off – you can either have many tourists who bring little value, or you could have fewer tourists who bring more value.

Research and Promotion – Priorities for Post Pandemic Tourism Recovery

Coming out of the pandemic, Sri Lanka is stepping into a very challenging context, and to a rather unprecedented situation as far as the tourism sector goes. The reality of the situation is that Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is still playing catch up, compared to competing destinations.

Mainstream tourism in the country largely began after the end of the civil war in 2009; a period that was also marked by a boom in tourism worldwide. The Asian middle class was growing and travel was more affordable than ever. In addition, movements from social media to big data were making travel more approachable.

Sri Lanka was fortunate to ride that wave, with the country attracting tourists, and businesses within the sector growing significantly. All of that has understandably come to a halt now because of the pandemic. And while Sri Lanka was focussed on growing over the past decade, other destinations were more focussed on innovating – focussing on tourism research and segmenting markets.

As Momina points out, this is a very fundamental area where Sri Lanka needs to catch up, because now all markets are starting from the same baseline. Sri Lanka has to put in the work to position itself better, to understand what consumers are looking for, where to go and find the consumers who are willing to travel, who are willing to spend the money, and who are interested in what Sri Lanka has to offer.

If Sri Lanka is to find the answers to these questions, research and promotion are rather important, especially in this time frame, when the challenges are tougher than before.

Momina also believes that a lot of work needs to be done with regard to Sri Lanka’s product offering, especially in a post pandemic world. She points out that we need to identify the things that are inherently authentic to Sri Lanka and pay attention to how it can be offered to consumers. Developing products and experiences and packaging them attractively are some of the big pieces that this lull period gives us time to focus on and get right.

Working with the Sri Lankan Government and the Private Sector

Australia has been working with the Sri Lankan government and the private sector for a long time, and MDF has been building on that work. The Australian government supported Sri Lanka’s initial Tourism Strategic Plan which was put in place from 2017-2020. It has also created many exchange opportunities for Sri Lankan businesses and government officials, providing the opportunity to bring back knowledge and expertise to Sri Lanka.

Momina and the team at MDF believe that research and promotion are critical areas for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, and that is why they are currently focussing on these aspects. The project is working very closely with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) to conduct a gap analysis, to identify what is being done in terms of research and analysis, compared to what other similar global tourism departments are doing.

MDF is also working together with the SLTDA to build the capacity of their teams, enabling them to understand how to transition into a much more efficient, analytical organisation that is able to interpret data and use it to base their decisions, and also share it with the industry so that they have more insight on where to invest, what kind of products to offer, which markets to target and how to target them.

Since MDF began its engagement in Sri Lanka, it has worked on a number of programs with the private sector as well. One important initiative was new product development, where they helped identify and introduce innovative products that were missing from the market. Another initiative saw the project investing in developing information that is available to travellers, so that they can make their purchase decisions more effectively.

At present, MDF’s work with the private sector is focussed on coordination, especially with business membership organisations such as the Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance (SLTA) and The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL). For example, the team is working with THASL to familiarise hotels on COVID-19 preparedness and the certification process.

Momina emphasises that the country’s informal tourism sector, which is a big section of the industry, will need to be more organised if it is to actively participate in the post COVID-19 environment because there is going to be so much more required of them in terms of being able to trace their guests, maintain records, etc. As a result, MDF is currently negotiating with companies that are planning on digitizing the SME inventory, and providing capacity building support to all types of SME tourism related businesses.

By working with the SLTA, MDF intends to support an industry association that has a similar vision to advocate for long-term sustainability of the industry, to unite different sections of the industry for a common objective, and to effectively showcase what Sri Lanka is all about to the world.

At this moment, 2021 seems like it is going to be a challenging year for tourism. Travel will resume, but at a slower pace. We are all confident that tourism will recover and grow, as it is something inherent to Sri Lanka and there are so many businesses and communities that are actively engaged in it. MDF hopes to scale up its presence in the sector in the coming months, and work closely with government and private sector entities to support the industry in the recovery process.

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Tourism From The Report: Sri Lanka 2019 View in Online Reader

The spotlight is very much on Sri Lanka’s tourism sector in 2019, after globally recognised company Lonely Planet named it as the number-one travel destination for the year. As the country embarks on a year of ambitious goals to attract more visitors, the sector is also at a critical juncture. Successful, sustainable growth will rely on a delicate rebranding of the destination’s reputation, from budget beach trips to a place where visitors are willing to pay all price points, including at the luxury level, and are well served. It is also important that growth is not achieved to the detriment of the island’s natural assets, both environmental and human. This chapter contains an interview with Hiran Cooray, Chairman, Jetwing Hotels.

Articles from this Chapter

Time to shine: all eyes are on sri lanka as the world’s top destination for 2019 obg plus.

The spotlight is very much on Sri Lanka’s tourism sector in 2019, after globally recognised company Lonely Planet named it as the number-one travel destination for the year. As the country embarks on a year of ambitious goals to attract more visitors, the sector is also at a critical juncture. Successful, sustainable growth will rely on a delicate rebranding of the destination’s reputation from that of budget beach trips to a place where visitors are willing to pay all price points, including…

Up market: Hiran Cooray, Chairman, Jetwing Hotels, on sustainably expanding the sector’s offerings OBG plus

Interview:Hiran Cooray In what ways is the country positioning itself as a luxury tourism destination? HIRAN COORAY: We have to focus on quality rather than quantity. If we only prioritise quantity, then our sector will not earn money and our natural resources will be depleted. In effect, we would only be subsidising travellers to come to enjoy the country and there would be no long-term benefits for the government or the people of this country. In order to focus on quality, we should aim…

Off the beaten track: Spreading tourism’s benefits around the country with investment in infrastructure, new offerings and marketing OBG plus

Sri Lanka has long been known as a beach destination, but the island offers considerably more, and industry leaders are encouraging the development of alternative destinations to appeal to a wide variety of interests. These include adventure and experiential travel and wellness tourism, as well as travel to areas that were previously off-limits to foreign visitors because of civil conflict. “Every region in Sri Lanka has a story to tell,” Sanath Ukwatte, president of the Hotels Association…

Meeting expectations: Security and engagement key to further growth in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry OBG plus

Countries and regions across the world have long understood the potential of the MICE segment as a vehicle to drive high-value tourism and economic development. In recent decades this has led to significant investment, with nations working to position themselves as centres for the industry, both regionally and globally, aided by greater air connectivity. At the same time, the industry has been shaped by new technologies and rising security concerns, as well as budget constraints brought on by headwinds like the 2008 global financial crisis and the lower oil price environment that emerged in mid-2014. Nonetheless, there are plenty of reasons…

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Spurned by Schengen, Indians are being swayed by the lure of liberal visas

NEW DELHI : Radhika Khanijo is busy planning vacations this summer for a few uber wealthy clients to a destination that hadn’t been on her luxury travel firm’s radar ever before: South Korea. The Asian country is suddenly on the map of Indian travellers, says the founder of Welgrow Travel, and part of the reason is its easy visa process.

“South Korea is seeing a big rise in travel demand from discerning travellers. We were never catering for travel to this country till last year," said Khanijo, also explaining why the visa process is a boon for last-minute planners. “There is no appointment procedure and clients can just submit their visas (online). Their visas take just seven working days to process, with low rejection rates."

Khanijo is also bundling in travel to Japan for one of her clients. 

As trying to obtain Schengen visas to travel to European countries such as Greece, Italy and Switzerland became exasperating, Indians turned to more familiar destinations such as Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Sri Lanka that have easier processes.

Thailand set the ball rolling in November, when it eliminated visa requirements for Indian travellers and permitted a 30-day stay until May this year. Last week, it extended this scheme till November this year. 

Sri Lanka rolled out a similar scheme, offering visa-free access to Indians as well as nationals from six other countries till the end of May. Malaysia has declared visa-free entry for Indian and Chinese citizens till December.

“Surprisingly, many European nations that are in recession are putting visa restrictions instead of easing them up. Slowly Indian travellers are realising these issues and are opting to travel elsewhere," said  Subhash Goyal, chairman of STIC Travel, one of India’s largest travel agents.

The lure of liberal visas

The surge in outbound travel from India is emblematic of the country’s growing middle-class and the increase in their disposable incomes.

Outbound travel from India is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.4% between 2023 and 2032 to $44.8 billion, according to a report titled ‘Outbound Tourism in India’ by business advisory Nangia Andersen Llp. In 2022, the market stood at $15.16 billion.

India’s outbound tourism sector, one of the fastest-growing in Asia, has recuperated to about 61% of its pre-pandemic strength, with 13 million outbound tourists recorded in 2022, according to a report by McKinsey & Co. The consultancy firm estimates this figure could expand to 80 million by 2040.

For this year’s summer, Thailand, Mauritius, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam have collectively registered a 30-40% increase in travel bookings by Indians as compared with a year earlier, according to travel agency Yatra Online Ltd.

Also read |  Scant slots, lengthy waits: Where have all the Schengen visas gone?

Thailand and Sri Lanka have seen a 35% year-over-year increase in bookings for this year’s summer travel. Vietnam registered a 25% jump in bookings during April and May.

Bharatt Malik, senior vice president for flights and hotel business at Yatra Online, said Indian travellers are opting for destinations with simpler visa requirements and straightforward travel arrangements.

“A lot of the economies that have recently made visas free are dependent on tourism, and so have become very liberal with their visas, at least in the short run," said Goyal of STIC. “Indians, with their growing discretionary incomes, are now becoming more liberal spenders when travelling and shopping abroad."

The value-conscious traveller

MakeMyTrip registered a 33% year-on-year growth for bookings in April across newly minted visa-free destinations as well as countries allowing e-visas, such as Kazakhstan, Angola and Japan. 

Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are two major draws for Indian travellers this summer, followed by Georgia, Langkawi, and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Bhutan, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Kenya are among other favourites this summer, said a spokesperson for MakeMyTrip.

Also read |  ‘Suite' surprise: Discounts rain at 5-star hotels for summer, autumn travel

Destinations in Thailand such as Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Krabi remain a favourite, especially as the country has extended its no-visa scheme for Indians until November.

According to a spokesperson for travel agency Thomas Cook India, the elimination of the visa cost for Thailand, especially for an Indian family of four or ad hoc groups of friends or colleagues, is an important consideration for the value-conscious Indian.

• #travel and tourism industry

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ICT: Cyber Security and Applications

Proceedings of ICTCS 2023, Volume 3

• Conference proceedings
• © 2024
• Amit Joshi 0 ,
• Mufti Mahmud 1 ,
• Roshan G. Ragel 2 ,
• S. Kartik 3

Global Knowledge Research Foundation, Ahmedabad, India

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Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK

University of peradeniya, delthota, sri lanka, department of cse, sns college of technology, coimbatore, india.

• Presents high-quality research in the field of information and communication technology
• Features the outcomes of ICTCS 2023, held in Jaipur, India
• Serves as a reference resource for researchers and practitioners in academia and industry

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems (LNNS, volume 916)

Included in the following conference series:

• ICTCS: International Conference on Information and Communication Technology for Competitive Strategies

Conference proceedings info: ICTCS 2022.

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Table of contents (40 papers)

Front matter, scalability analysis of molecular dynamics simulation using namd on ampere-based dense gpu supercomputer.

• Nisha Agrawal, Abhishek Das, Manish Modani

Digital Muhadathah : Framework Model Development for Digital Arabic Language Learning

• Aminudin Hehsan, Miftachul Huda, Mahsun Mahsun, Asrori Asrori, Muhammad Hambal Shafwan, Din Muhammad Zakariya et al.

Proficient Exam Monitoring System Using Deep Learning Techniques

• Priya N. Parkhi, Amna Patel, Dhruvraj Solanki, Himesh Ganwani, Manav Anandani

Object Detection in Rainy Images Based on Multi-stage Image Deraining Network

• V. S. Vishnu, Philomina Simon

ApnaMarket.NFT: Empowering Art and Collectibles in the NFT Marketplace

• Padma Adane, Viresh Dhawan, Harsh Singh, Atharva Baheti

Smart Homes of Tomorrow: IoT-Enabled Lifestyle Enhancements

• Priyanka Patel, Krishna Gevariya, Rency Kapadia

Human Activity Recognition Using Supervised Machine Learning Classifiers

• Kazi Azizuddin, Premal Patel, Chintan Shah

Application of Deep Learning in Detection and Classification

• P. K. Muhammad Suarim, Meeradevi, B. J. Sowmya, Prathik Boppudi, Vivek Ranjan, Yashraj Verma et al.

Gesture-Based Alphabet Detection and Scoring Using OpenCV and Tesseract-OCR

• Karan Chopra, S. Shanthi Therese

Sign-Kiosk: A Real-Time Virtual Assistant

• Srushti Sujit, Anchala Balaraj, M. S. Pavan Kumar, A. Sagar, M. Anuradha

A Graph-Based Strategy for Intrusion Detection in Connected Vehicles

• M. S. Sreelekshmi, S. Aji

Correlation Analysis Between INR-USD Exchange Rates and Public Sentiments Using Twitter

• Gargee Dorle, Varsha Pimprale

Improving Farm Yield Through Agent-Based Modelling

• Dattatraya Adane, Anand Upadhyaya, Mayank Pandey, Yash Dhoot

A Recommendation System for Food Tourism

• Dattatraya S. Adane, Himanshu Shahu, Parshva Choradia, Ritesh Yadav

Working of the Tesseract OCR on Different Fonts of Gujarati Language

• Kartik Joshi, Harshal Arolkar

Exploring Innovations for Streamlining Orphan Adoption: Harnessing Blockchain and Decentralized Solutions—A Survey and Comprehensive Framework

• Deepali Patil, Aabha Patil, Aarti Puthran, Nilesh Marathe, Surekha Janrao, Hezal Lopes

Encryption + Watermarking: A Duo Approach for Secure Image Communication in Transform Domain

• R. Sivaraman, D. Yasvanthira Sri, R. Subashini, B. Vinizia, C. Lakshmi

Animal Detection in Wildlife Conservation Using Deep Learning

• B. Senbagam, S. Bharathi

Real-Time Groundwater Monitoring Using IoT Sensors for Sustainable Resource Management

• M. Sowndharya, S. Duraisamy

Other volumes

Information and communication technology for competitive strategies (ictcs 2022).

• Information and Communication Technology
• Big Data and Data Mining
• Sensor Networks and Embedded System
• Human Computer Interaction
• E-governance
• ICTCS 2023 Proceedings

About this book

This book contains best selected research papers presented at ICTCS 2023: Eighth International Conference on Information and Communication Technology for Competitive Strategies. The conference will be held in Jaipur, India during 8 – 9 December 2023. The book covers state-of-the-art as well as emerging topics pertaining to ICT and effective strategies for its implementation for engineering and managerial applications. This book contains papers mainly focused on ICT for computation, algorithms and data analytics and IT security. The work is presented in three volumes.

Editors and Affiliations

Mufti Mahmud

Roshan G. Ragel

About the editors

Dr. Amit Joshi is currently the Director of Global Knowledge Research Foundation, also an Entrepreneur  Researcher who has completed his Masters and research in the areas of cloud computing and cryptography in medical imaging. Dr. Joshi has an experience of around 10 years in academic and industry in prestigious organizations. Dr. Joshi is an active member of ACM, IEEE, CSI, AMIE, IACSIT-Singapore, IDES, ACEEE, NPA and many other professional societies. Currently, Dr. Joshi is the International Chair of InterYIT at International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP, Austria), He has presented and published more than 50 papers in national and international journals/conferences of IEEE and ACM. Dr. Joshi has also edited more than 40 books which are published by Springer, ACM and other reputed publishers. Dr. Joshi has also organized more than 50national and international conferences and programs in association withACM, Springer, IEEE to name a few across different countries including India, UK, Europe, USA, Canada, Thailand, Egypt and many more.

Dr. Mufti Mahmud is an Associate Professor of Cognitive Computing at the Computer Science Department of Nottingham Trent University (NTU), UK. He has been the recipient of the top 2% cited scientists worldwide in computer science (since 2020), the NTU VC Outstanding Research Award 2021, and the Marie-Curie postdoctoral fellowship. Dr Mahmud is a member of the university shadow executive team shadowing the pro-vice-chancellor (research and innovation), coordinator of the Computer Science and Informatics research excellence framework unit of assessment at NTU, the group leader of the cognitive computing & brain informatics research group and the deputy group leader of the Interactive Systems research group at NTU. His research portfolio consists of GBP 4.0 million grant capture with expertise that includes brain informatics, computational intelligence, applied data analysis, and big data technologies focusing on healthcare applications. In these fields, he has published over 320 peer-reviewed articles. Dr Mahmud has been the General Chair of the Brain Informatics Conference 2020, 2021, and 2022; founding chair of the Applied Intelligence and Informatics conference since 2021;  Trends in Electronics and Health Informatics 2022; International Symposium of Green Technologies and Applications 2023; chair of the IEEE CICARE symposium since 2017 and was the local organising chair of the IEEE WCCI 2020. He will serve as one of the General Chairs of the 31st edition of the ICONIP conference to be held in Auckland (NZ) in 2024. He is the Big Data Analytics Section Editor of Cognitive Computation, the Regional Editor (Europe) of the Brain Informatics journal, and an Associate Editor of the Frontiers in Neuroscience. He is the chief editor of the Applied Intelligence and Informatics (Springer-Nature) and Smart Healthcare Systems: From Data to Knowledge (CRC Press) book series. Currently, Dr Mahmud is serving as the Chair of the Intelligent System Application and Brain Informatics Technical Committees of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (CIS), a member of the IEEE CIS Task Force on Intelligence Systems for Health, the Publications Chair of the IEEE UK and Ireland Industry Applications Chapter, and the Project Liaison Officer of the IEEE UK and Ireland SIGHT Committee, and the Secretary of the IEEE UK and Ireland CIS Chapter. Dr. Roshan Ragel is a full professor in Computer Engineering at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He is a skilled university lecturer and researcher with a doctorate in computer science and engineering and a passion for teaching, research and administration. His research interest is in the areas of fault-tolerant and dependable computing, accelerated and high-performance computing, wearable computing and synthesis of secure and reliable embedded processors.Prof. Ragel received his PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia in 2007 and his BSc in Engineering from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka in 2001. He was appointed a Senior Lecturer in Computer Engineering at the University of Peradeniya December 2007 and a full professor since October 2017. Prof. Ragel has co-authored about 150 peer-reviewed articles in topics including Micro- Architectural Support for Reliability and Security in Embedded Processors (SoC), Internet of Things (IoT), Side-Channel Attacks and Countermeasures, Application Specific Processor Design, High-Performance Computing such as Hardware/Software Acceleration of Bioinformatics Algorithms, Wearable Computing, Format-Preserving Digitisation and OCR of Local Language Text, and Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHAs) in the Context of Mobile Applications. He has won several best paper awards in conference papers, the most prolific Sri Lankan author award from Elsevier Research in 2017 and the Presidential award for scientific publication in Sri Lanka in 2018. He was a visiting research scholar at the UNSW, Sydney a few times and UIUC, Illinois once. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society.

Dr. S. Karthik is presently Professor & Dean in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, SNS College of Technology, affiliated to Anna University- Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He received the M.E and PhD degree from Anna University, Chennai. His research interests include network security, big data, cloud computing, web services and wireless systems. In particular, he is currently working in a research group developing new Internet security architectures and active defence systems against DDoS attacks. Dr. S.Karthik published more than 200 papers in refereed international journals and 125 papers in conferences and has been involved in many international conferences as Technical Chair and tutorial presenter.  He is an active member of IEEE, ISTE, IAENG, IACSIT and Indian Computer Society.

Bibliographic Information

Book Title : ICT: Cyber Security and Applications

Book Subtitle : Proceedings of ICTCS 2023, Volume 3

Editors : Amit Joshi, Mufti Mahmud, Roshan G. Ragel, S. Kartik

Series Title : Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-0744-7

Publisher : Springer Singapore

eBook Packages : Engineering , Engineering (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024

Softcover ISBN : 978-981-97-0743-0 Due: 14 June 2024

eBook ISBN : 978-981-97-0744-7 Published: 13 May 2024

Series ISSN : 2367-3370

Series E-ISSN : 2367-3389

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XX, 501

Number of Illustrations : 72 b/w illustrations, 189 illustrations in colour

Topics : Communications Engineering, Networks , Science and Technology Studies , Systems and Data Security , Computational Intelligence , Artificial Intelligence

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Tunisia's Sustained Recovery Requires Quick Action to Take Advantage of Opportunities

TUNIS, May 8, 2024 —  Tunisia's economic recovery slowed in 2023, due to a severe drought, tight financing conditions and a modest pace of reform, leaving the country's growth below pre-COVID levels, and making it one of the slowest recoveries in the Middle East and North Africa region, according to the Spring 2024 edition of the World Bank's Economic Monitor for Tunisia.

The report, Renewed Energy to the Economy , forecasts growth rates of 2.4 percent in 2024 and 2.3 percent in 2025-26, assuming easing of drought conditions and some progress in fiscal and pro-competition reforms. The report emphasizes Tunisia’s improved external balance, its narrowing trade deficit supported by favorable international prices, and its external financing needs that remain significant. The report underscores the urgency of addressing the drivers behind the external financing challenges, including energy deficit, debt service, and level of capital inflows.

Despite gains in the tourism and export sectors, Tunisia's economy was affected by the impacts of drought-related losses that led to an 11 percent drop in agriculture, underlining the need for adaptation to climate change. These losses have been compounded by limited domestic demand, penalizing sectors such construction and trade. This has led to a rise in unemployment, which reached 16.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023, and a drop in labor force participation.

The report delves into the details of the country’s current economic challenges and opportunities. Despite limited demand, inflation remains at 7.8 percent. In particular, food price inflation stands at 10.2 percent. Most of this inflation can be attributed to rising profits and import prices, underlining the significant impact of competition and trade policies on inflationary pressures. On the positive side the trade deficit fell from 17.5 percent of GDP in 2022 to 10.8 percent in 2023, with the current account deficit also narrowing from 8.6 percent to 2.6 percent of GDP over the same period.

Faced with tighter external financing conditions, Tunisia has increasingly relied on domestic banks — and more recently to the Central Bank - to finance its budget. This shift has heightened financial system vulnerabilities and led to a crowding-out effect, where banks devote an increasing share of lending to the government over the private sector.

"Despite ongoing challenges, there are significant opportunities for Tunisia to transform and strengthen its economy. With strategic investments, particularly in renewable energy, Tunisia could significantly enhance its economic resilience and sustainability,” said Alexandre Arrobbio, the World Bank's Country Manager for Tunisia . “We are committed to helping Tunisia tapping into its rich renewable energy resources, and our report identifies clear pathways to growth and stability. Developing these resources is essential to reducing import dependency and fiscal costs while enhancing energy security and fostering a sustainable economic future."

A major focus of the report is on Tunisia's ambitious plans for renewable energy as a solution to its economic and environmental challenges. The country aims to increase the share of renewables in its electricity mix from the current 3 percent to 35 percent by 2030. At present, 2,200 MW of private generation projects have been launched, which are expected to bring the share of renewables up to 17 percent by 2025. The report highlights the large economic benefits of deepening this transition through an ambitious decarbonization agenda. The total investment required is estimated at US$ 4.5 billion by 2030 and could come mainly from the private sector should adequate regulatory conditions be in place. One of the flagship projects on this agenda is the electricity interconnection between Tunisia and Italy (Elmed). This project aims to improve the resilience of the Tunisia’s electricity system and transform it into a net exporter of electricity. This would significantly reduce the country’s dependence on costly natural gas imports and improve its balance of payments.

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