ABSTRACT
Following current research discussions in resilience thinking, this chapter engages with the notion of slow change – in this case social-economic resilience in Sri Lanka (see Lew 2014; Daskon 2010). Becken’s (2013) resilience assessment framework is used to assess poverty alleviation and community development in the world heritage city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. Income distribution and poverty reduction in developing countries remains an entrenched and ongoing and a largely unresolved problem not only in Kandy, but also throughout Sri Lanka. Cultural tourism can play a significant role in both poverty reduction and community resilience in Kandy. Drawing heavily on field-based research, we argue that it is only through collaborative initiatives and partnerships with host communities that long-term cultural tourism policies can be developed to facilitate equitable social outcomes through slow change interactions of social-ecological factors in Kandy. Consequently, we provide suggestions on how to realize sustainable heritage tourism in Kandy following decades of Civil War.
