Abstract:
At present, rules and regulations implemented by the Sri Lankan
government has been instrumental in providing the necessary
boost to the domestic tourism sector than previously. Many
countries which possess unique natural and cultural resources are
making great attempts to brand those destinations related domestic
tourism. When considering the domestic tourism destinations in Sri
Lanka, Ella is one of the most popular places due to its distinctive
image. The level of tourists’ satisfaction in travelling to Ella area is
mainly depends on five main elements namely, attraction,
accessibility, amenities, accommodation and activities of a tourist
destination. Considering the timeliness and importance of the
phenomenon, this research aims at recognizing how key elements
of a tourist destination affected on the domestic tourists’
satisfaction in Ella. This research study employed the quantitative
approach in collecting data, distributing self-administered
questionnaires among 150 domestic tourists in Western Province
who have visited Ella. The domestic tourists were selected based on
convenience sampling method. The findings revealed that five
elements positively correlate with domestic tourists’ satisfaction in
Ella. Moreover, the above five factors have a positive significant
impact on domestic tourist satisfaction and activities can be
identified as the most crucial factor. The scholarly attention given
to understand the domestic tourists’ satisfaction is low in both
global and local contexts. Therefore, this research fills the gap in the
existing literature. As the managerial implications, stakeholders can
increase the level of domestic tourist’s satisfaction by improving
activities, other basic infrastructure especially transportation,
sanitary facilities and so on.
