Sri Lanka tourism industry in pandemic muddle
The tourism industry is currently fighting hard to ensure that travellers to Sri Lanka are subjected to checks for COVID-19 and holiday in a travel bubble concept that will ensure the country is safe from any importation of the virus.
This is after recent comments by an opposition legislator that the government is not taking action against curbing the import of the virus through tourists, raised a hornet’s nest among the industry stating that such comments were damaging to any future arrivals.
It is interesting to note that despite the claims of carrying out checks the initial batch of tourists were not subject to the proper procedures as stated by Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairperson Kimarli Fernando herself last December where she had insisted that the required protocols were not adhered to.
Moreover, senior epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera had also reportedly insisted that the opening up of the country to foreign arrivals was a cause for concern and stated that should the right protocols not be followed it could result in the spread of the virus by having contact with the foreigners.
However Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators spokesman and Immediate Past President Mahen Kariyawasam told the Business Times that the country has been able to attract over 18, 000 tourists between January and June this year out of which 170 of them had tested positive for COVID-19 which is less than one percent of the total tourist arrivals.
He insisted that tourists were permitted to stay only in “Safe and Secure” Level 1 hotels and it was compulsory for all the hotels to allocate 25 per cent of the hotel room inventory to accommodate COVID-positive guests prior to transferring to care centres or approved private hospitals. Further he noted that it was essential that tourists obtain a COVID insurance cover prior to arriving in the country.
Moreover, service providers were also compelled to obtain the safe and secure certification following audits by internationally reputed auditors KPMG.
A tourist had to carry out a PCR test 72 hours prior to boarding the flight and on arrival before checking into the hotel and could travel only to limited number of places according to a strict schedule.
In the meantime, the industry is concerned about the latest outbreak of the Delta variant that is currently spreading in Europe and UK as this could have an adverse impact on arrivals for the upcoming winter season.
Mr. Kariyawasam noted that they have no hope for arrivals from the UK and that it was necessary to watch the situation in Europe and ascertain the travel restrictions imposed on those citizens in the wake of these new developments.