A STUDY ON TOURISTIC PRESENTATION OF TRADITIONAL SRI LANKAN MARTIAL ART – ANGAMPORA

Abstract

Cultural tourism nowadays plays an essential role in the tourism industry. Culture and tourism play a significant relationship while it is enhancing destination attractiveness. The legendary traditional martial art of Angampora is one of the prominent cultural elements in Sri Lanka. It is a significant martial art form deeply connected with the traditional Sri Lankan culture. In addition, it is one of the oldest fighting techniques in the world. The study mainly focuses on identifying Angampora attributes for cultural tourism presentation. The research site included traditional martial art generations in Sri Lanka. According to the study, the researcher could find eight Angampora masters from their traditional generation. The researcher used a convenience sampling method and snowball sampling method for the sample selected. The study used a qualitative approach. For analyze the collected data, the researcher used thematic analysis. According to the finding, the researcher could identify different Angampora attributes for the cultural tourism presentation, mainly focusing on staging, learning, and experiencing. The attributes are included traditional martial arts, own creations, local exercises, weapons, drums and dance, Sinhalese natural foods and beverages, and treatments via hela wedakama and nila wedakama. In addition, the finding shows authentic cultural barriers inherent to their traditional generations