Tourism's battle against terrorism

Tour operators pin hopes on peace talks and swift Govt. action

By Esther Williams and Nadia Fazlulhaq

This week's suicide bomb attacks at Habarana and Galle made headlines around the world. To say that the tourist industry is concerned is an understatement. With Habarana and Galle being popular tourist destinations, there was concern that the attacks would put a damper on the tourist industry which is gearing for the 'season' as winter approaches in the west.

Hoteliers and tour operators, however, maintained an optimistic front and the Sri Lanka Tourist Board moved swiftly to allay fears, pointing out that tourists have never been targeted in the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and stressing tourist resorts will continue to receive tourists.

A tourist enjoying the sun and the sand on the Galle beach a day after the attack on the southern naval base.

In a statement issued in the aftermath of Monday's attack that killed 98 people, mostly sailors, Tourist Board Chairman Udaya Nanayakkara said the incident took place in an isolated area, a transit point for sailors going on leave and those reporting to duty after leave. "This is an attack exclusively targeting the forces," he said. He said tourist operations would remain intact as were government plans for negotiations with the LTTE.

The Tourism Ministry was also quick to issue a statement and point out that the attack was not targeted at tourists or the tourism industry.

"Tourists understand the situation of the country well and are aware of the conflict during the past two decades. The huge plus point to the tourism industry is that the tourists are not main targets as in some other countries," said Additional Secretary George Michael.

He said that while 549,308 tourists arrived last year, by August this year they had recorded a 12% increase in the number. "We have a target of 600,000 tourists for this year and we are confident that the peace talks and the political consensus between the two major political parties will create an environment, encouraging the arrival of tourists," he said.

The scene at Habarana after Monday’s suicide attack. AFP

The Ministry's Media Secretary, Madawa Perera, assured that none of the hotels was damaged by these attacks. "At Digampatana, it was the navy officials who were under fire and in Galle it was the naval harbour," he said, adding that the LTTE targeted the forces and not tourists or tourist destinations.

Dambulla's Divisional Secretary R.M.C.M. Herath was optimistic. He expressed hope that tourists would not cancel their tours because Digampatana was not a tourist destination. "We expect the tourist flow to Sigiriya, Dambulla and Habarana to remain as it is," he said.

So how did hotels in Habarana and Galle deal with the situation as news of the attacks broke? The Sunday Times spoke to leading resort hotels in these areas to find out how they coped with the situation.

Soon after receiving the news of the Habarana attack, the Kandalama Hotel kept its guests informed. "We explained to them the situation and our guests showed interest. There was absolutely no panic," General Manager R. Sariffodeen said.

Guests touring the area with guides passed the spot where the incident had occurred. Many reacted saying, "It could happen anywhere in the world." However, there was a 25% overall cancellation following the attack.

Mr. Sariffodeen said they hoped the peace talks scheduled for October 28 and 29 in Switzerland will take place. "It will be the light at the end of the tunnel," he said adding, "If not….the season will be out." This apparently is the time for making reservations for December and January, peak months for tourist arrivals.

Chaaya Village, Habarana, is a popular round tour excursion hotel for which reservations are routed through Colombo. Most visitors stay there for a night or two making it their base for visits to Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Dambulla. "The incident occurred more than 5 km away from the hotel and many did not know of it till they returned in the evening," Manager Roshan de Silva said.

Cordoned off, the area remained closed for a couple of hours only. The spot was not in the path of travellers to Polonnaruwa and foreigners going to Sigiriya preferred the scenic jungle route that allows them to take in the wildlife. "It does not seem to be an issue for now although it is too soon to say about future cancellations," Mr. de Silva said.

Sigiriya Village Hotel's General Manager Marius Perera said the incidents of the past few months and not just the recent attacks had affected their current occupancy rate. While August was fantastic, September showed 40% occupancy but October has been a lean period, with only 10 rooms being occupied.

Commenting on the recent attack, he said, "Our guests did not hear of the incident, as they were busy visiting the hot spots."

When asked about the future, he said it looked bleak. "We are keeping our fingers crossed, fervently hoping for a breakthrough at the peace talks."

Hoteliers in the south, especially Galle, where Wednesday's attack on the naval base took place, also echoed similar views.

There was apparently no commotion at the Coral Gardens Hotel in Hikkaduwa, Manager Anthony Perera said. “Our guests did not show much interest.”

Frequent travellers were interested and heard of the incident through friends. As the popular destination is 18 km from Galle, business was as usual for the hotel, although the closure of the road and the police curfew made it difficult for the hotel staff to travel from Galle to work.

In scenic Unawatuna, tourists enjoyed the beach as usual with the Unawatuna Beach Resort close to Galle reporting 80% occupancy. "Tourists know they are safe here. They understand that the attack off the coast of Galle was an isolated incident, targeted at the security forces and not the tourists," General Manager Janaka de Silva said.

"We don't anticipate any cancellations, because the foreign media and their TV crews which were here would show to the world that the tourists or the civilians were not the targets of any attacks," he said.

However, the travel advisories issued by certain countries were a matter of concern for some in the industry.

The new travel advisory issued by the German Embassy saying it is not suitable to travel to Sri Lanka is certainly a cause for alarm, Aitken Spence's Director Operations Roshan Fernando said.

"We have assured travel agents that tourists will be absolutely safe," said Mr. Fernando, who believed the industry would bounce back. He pointed out that the tourism industry in Egypt and Bali where terror attacks had occurred were able to recover fast.

Mr. Fernando called for more aggressive tourism promotion by the government and tourism authorities to counteract the current situation. "If we do not act fast, it will kill our tourism for the winter season," he said.

Although no cancellations had been made so far, Confifi Group received many enquiries from their clients. "They needed to know if the areas where their hotels were located were affected and if it was safe to travel there," Managing Director Stefan Furkhan said.

On their part they have spoken optimistically about the forthcoming peace talks that would bring about a cessation of hostilities. Since neither of the towns affected was in their area of operation, Mr. Furkhan and his team had pointed out that the attacks were purely on military targets.

"Tourists are safe in the country," is the assurance given to clients by Jetwing Hotels, a leading hotel group. "Such attacks are always targeted at the security forces," Managing Director Hiran Cooray who is also President of the Hoteliers' Association said, quite positive about overcoming the current situation.