Abstract:
Sri Lanka's socioeconomic environment, particularly in its well-known tourist destinations, is heavily influenced by tourism. This research did a thorough examination as the country attempts to reconcile the increasing tourist industry's expansion with environmental preservation and long-term viability. This research focuses into the complex interaction between resilience, conservation, and sustainability in the lively setting of Sri Lanka's popular tourist attractions. Resilience and conservation were considered as predictors of the study and their impact on sustainability was evaluated. Literature review data was supported to build the theoretical foundation for the study and primary data was collected through a questionnaire survey. The population was recognized as individuals who traveled to the popular tourist attractions in Sri Lanka. A total number of 384 questionnaires were distributed among these individuals and 380 completed responses were received which was recognized as the sample. Data was analyzed using SPSS which included descriptive statistics, reliability tests, correlation, and multiple regression. The findings revealed that the resilience and conservation in tourist hotspots in Sri Lanka is in an average level which is not sufficient. Further, there is a significant negative impact of resilience on sustainability. This surprising outcome highlights the crucial role resilience plays in tourism destinations and suggests that sustainability initiatives may be compromised by a lack of resilience. Conversely, conservation has a positive impact on sustainability. The conservation of the natural environments, biodiversity, and cultural legacy inside these hotspots has come to depend heavily on conservation programs. This positive impact emphasizes how important environmental protection and resource sustainability are to sustaining Sri Lanka's tourist sector. It was recommended that Sri Lankan tourism areas should prioritize and increase conservation activities while building resilience mechanisms to deal with unanticipated obstacles. These findings have significant relevance for politicians, tourism sector stakeholders, and local people trying to balance environmental conservation and tourism expansion in Sri Lanka's well-known tourist sites. It is necessary to do more research to examine potential confounding factors and the wider implications of these complex interactions. Further, it can be suggested that the future researchers may do a comparative study among different tourist destinations in Sri Lanka as a longitudinal study to evaluate more complex changes in conservation practices, resilience and sustainability.
