An Analysis of the Challenges and Opportunities in Promoting Sustainable Community-Based Homestay Tourism in Galle, Sri Lanka

Community-based Homestay tourism has emerged as an important mode of sustainable tourism through empowering the local people, protecting the cultural heritage and conservation of the environment. The present study aims at exploring challenges and opportunities in promoting sustainable CBHT in the Galle District of Sri Lanka, which is a place widely known by its cultural and natural resources, but is impacted by limitations in the form of infrastructural, marketing, financial, and regulatory issues. Using a systematic literature review and thematic analysis of peer-reviewed journal articles, the research synthesizes the state of the knowledge on socio-economic; cultural; environmental; and as well as policy-related factors that influence the sustainability of CBHT. Some major challenges as identified include infrastructure deficit like poor road access and utilities, lack of standard procedures of operations and formal training of homestay operators, lack of marketing reach, financial barriers as well as socio-cultural challenges such as language barrier and rejection by the community. On the other hand, there exist opportunities that are achieved through empowerment of the community, stakeholder cooperation between the government and NGOs, utilization of digital marketing tools, and implementation of the eco-friendly practices pertaining to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study highlights the need for incorporated approaches which include infrastructure development, capacity building, more definite policy framework and increased digital engagement for the long-term viability and inclusiveness of CBHT. Propositions for future research focus on primary data collection from local stakeholders, comparative study between regions in the bid to contextualize models of sustainable tourism. Theoretical and practical learnings for stakeholders seeking to promote solid resilient and responsible homestay tourism to enhance the communities, the visitors, and the environment are offered by this research.