The Tourism Development Authority is to start talks next week with foreign missions based in Sri Lanka, about travel advisories against travelling to the island. Many of Sri Lanka’s traditional western tourism countries have issued travel advisories cautioning their citizens about travel to Sri Lanka.
“We are planning to meet with foreign embassies in Sri Lanka next week to discuss these travel advisories. We will have to find out what their concerns are, and we will have to address these concerns,” said the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Bernard Goonatilake.
The local tourism trade say these travel advisories make it harder for tourists to get travel insurance. As a result, they put people off from visiting even parts of the country that are not affected by security concerns stemming from the conflict.
“Most of our traditional western markets like the UK, Germany and France, have issued travel advisories. These travel advisories have such a big impact on Sri Lanka because we are mainly a ‘group-travel’ destination. That is, people come, or do not come, in groups. When there are adverse travel advisories issued by their governments, they have difficulty getting travel insurance. So most of the time they don’t come,” said the President of the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, Srilal Miththapala.
But the good news, of the end of the 26-year war, is expected to improve the tourism outlook for this year. Local hotels are expecting a 15% to 20% increase in tourist arrivals during the coming winter season, compared to last year. However, income per room is not expected to increase because hotels have already sold rooms at war-time rates.
“We are looking at a 15% - 20% increase in volumes during this winter season. But most hotels have already sold rooms at war-time rates. They have quoted prices at war-time rates and not at post-war rates, which should be higher. So this year, the increase in hotel incomes will be through volume increases and not through an increase in room rates. The room rates will start going up only next year,” said Mr Miththapala.
Tourism activity in the country is expected to start improving from about October this year. To help the recovery process the tourism authorities will launch an international campaign later this month, to promote Sri Lanka as a tourism destination. |
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