The Sri Lankan tourism industry should see a vast increase in the number of inquiries and bookings from the German market after travel advisories were relaxed about a month ago and a certain level of confidence was restored following the end of the war.
At a workshop for 50 German tour operators held outside Colombo last week by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), Frank Schneider, a tour operator from Xclusivetours in Germany said Germans will probably need more time to truly see the effects of peace despite the revised travel advisories. Mr. Schneider also explained that the negative publicity in the international media over the past few months has also dampened enthusiasm to travel to the island. “However if Sri Lanka disappears from the news, there should be good changes in about one to two years,” he said.
The 50 tour operators, who are now considered experts on Sri Lanka after passing an online training seminar for travel agents, were taken to Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, the cultural triangle and areas in and around Beruwala during the week long familiarization tour.
Mr. Schneider said Sri Lanka has a lot to offer and that the tour operators felt safe traveling around the country. He described the security check points as ‘interesting’. “We didn’t have the impression that the checkpoints were everywhere but they did make us feel safe.” Mr. Schneider added that German tourists want to enjoy the core of the country. “If the roads and infrastructure aren’t perfect, then that is authentic.” He said the global economic crisis has had an impact on Germany but the effects have not been as severe as expected.
German tourists do not want to forego their vacations so they will economize in other areas. The SLTPB’s Promotion Manager in Germany Tobias Bandara told the Sunday Times FT that the travel advisories were relaxed although German tourists are still advised not to travel to the North, East and certain parts of Yala. However, traveling in other areas is safe. He said winter bookings have increased significantly.
Mr. Bandara added that the familiarization tour for the tour operators was designed to equip them with first-hand knowledge of the product they are selling to their customers and clients. He said there was no issue with the security situation. “No threats were experienced and there was no tension felt,” he said. According to tourism statistics compiled by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), the number of tourist arrivals to the island in August 2009 was 41,207, a 34.3% increase from August 2008.
However, the number of tourists declined from the 42,223 in July 2009. |
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