RihView: Brit traveller, Confirmation Bias & 3* Experiences

Someone had to say it

The past week gave us a lot - a British traveller got caught with £1.2 million worth of cannabis; people continued to believe (and forward) absolute rubbish because facts are apparently negotiable now; and Hiran Cooray finally said what some of us have been yelling into the void - we’re selling a five-star island with a three-star experience. Let’s get into it.

British and Busted in Colombo

Charlotte May Lee, 21, arrived in Sri Lanka last week and was arrested at the airport with 46 kilograms of synthetic cannabis - street value: £1.2 million. She claims she was set up. The Daily Mail claims she’s “facing years in a grim Sri Lankan jail.” And once again, we’re watching the same tired script play out.

Cue the buzzwords: “former cabin crew,” “innocent-looking,” “holiday turned nightmare.” It’s the kind of narrative where drug bust meets damsel-in-distress - a white woman alone in a scary foreign land, made even scarier because it’s… well, us.

No one’s saying she’s guilty - that’s for the courts. But what’s glaring is how the story is being told.

It’s about how countries like ours are painted as savage backdrops to white innocence. The real story becomes less about the drugs and more about the drama: her fear, her family, her discomfort.

Last Word: When a Western traveller is caught, it's a tragedy. When it’s one of ours, it’s a headline with no sympathy. Funny how that works.

Why We Believe What We Want - Even If It’s Wrong

Ever had someone send you a completely unhinged WhatsApp forward and then double down when you sent them actual facts?

Yeah, same. Welcome to the world of confirmation bias, where your brain basically hires a full-time bouncer to protect your existing beliefs, even if they’re dead wrong.

Here’s how it works: once we’ve decided something is true - whether it’s a rumour, a headline, or a gut feeling - we unconsciously start filtering the world to support it. Anything that fits the narrative? Instantly credible. Anything that contradicts it? Suspicious, fake, or part of a grand conspiracy.

And when the stakes are high or the belief feels personal, new information doesn’t change our minds - it just makes us double down harder. Psychologists call this the backfire effect. I call it Tuesday on Facebook.

It’s why a neighbour will argue that climate change is fake while standing knee-deep in floodwater. Or why someone will send you a video of microwaves “activating viruses” and then dismiss the World Health Organization as “biased.”

Last Word: Facts are useful. But if you want to change minds, start with empathy - not superiority. No one ever changed their worldview because you called them stupid.

A Five-Star Island With a Three-Star Mentality

Veteran hotelier Hiran Cooray said it out loud last week - Sri Lanka is a five-star island with a three-star image. And I’ve been screaming this for years.

From the moment tourists land, the illusion starts to crack. The first thing they experience? Our airport.

And what a welcome it is - dim lighting, sluggish lines, and a duty-free section that feels less “global luxury” and more like a fish market. Sellers practically drag you into their stores, waving perfume boxes like they’re auctioning tuna. It’s not the best first impression for a country selling “authentic luxury” as its tourism brand.

We chase high-spending tourists, then hand them a soggy towel and ask if they can pay in dollars. It’s not giving luxury. It’s giving underprepared.

Cooray’s point wasn’t just about hotel standards - it was about mindset. We can’t keep relying on beaches and borrowed taglines while offering the same tired experience. If we want to be taken seriously, we have to get serious about standards.

And yes, he’s right about the North. Open it up. Invest. Tell the stories that haven’t been told. The island is five-star. It’s time the industry started acting like it.

Last Word: If the goal is high-end tourism, we need to stop offering a budget experience wrapped in borrowed gloss. Start with the airport and go from there.

Until next week, question the headlines, dodge the duty-free hawks, and try not to argue with someone who thinks microwaves cause pandemics.
– Rihaab