Almost 10 years after the end of civil war, Sri Lanka had
been named the best country for travel in 2019 by Lonely Planet. New hotels,
better transport facilities and a growing number of activities were cited as
the reason to choose Sri Lanka for the top spot.
The nation came to depend on tourism, with the sector
becoming its third biggest economy booster as international visitors
skyrocketed in the past decade. Tourists stayed an average 11 days in Sri Lanka
and spent around 174 US dollar daily in 2018, generating 4.4 billion US dollars
in earnings, up 11.6 percent from a year earlier.
But with the attacks on Easter Sunday morning targeting
churches and hotels, the tourism industry took a big hit. This is the first
time that tourists and hotels were a target by terrorists in Sri Lanka. 40
tourists were killed by the blasts at the Shangri-La, The Kingsbury and the
Cinnamon Grand.
Hundreds of tourists have flown home. Some have shortened
their stay and others have
turned back after they heard of the attacks while in
transit. A significant number of cancellations have happened including the
biggest event; UN-supported International Wildlife Conference CITIES.
Countries like the US, UK, China, Canada, Spain, Israel and
Australia have already issued warnings of the situation in Sri Lanka.
During a political crisis from October to December 2018,
when large but peaceful protests were held, Sri Lanka's arrivals growth fell to
3.3 percent in December and 2.2 percent in January, traditionally the two
best-performing peak months.
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau and Sri Lanka Tourism
Development Authority Chairman Kishu Gomes opined the hit from the Easter
bombings will be worse compared to the outcome of the political crisis.
Meanwhile, Sanath Ukwatte, the President of the largest
leisure industry lobby group, The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), and
the Chairman of the Mount Lavinia Hotel Group, was more optimistic. He said,
"Other countries, not only us; Indonesia, Thailand, India and Turkey, they
all had their share of extremists attacks on tourist hotels, and for them, it
bounced back after a while."
New promotional efforts were only starting to get underway
in 2019, after Sri Lanka was named the world's top country to visit by travel
publisher Lonely Planet receiving greater attention from travel bloggers and
publications worldwide and then the bombs went off.
The industry expects a huge blow for the next coming months
or years causing a downward turn in the economy. Having experienced these kinds
of situations during the war, officials are confident that the industry will
have a comeback soon and that the need of the hour is to be vigilant.
Author:
Amasa Jayasinghe
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