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The Government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has the unenviable task of meeting an unexpected challenge having taken office at a time when the country is saddled with multiple problems albeit mostly of the country’s own making.

One of the legacies left behind by the previous Government was the VFS Visa fiasco and the passport crisis which impacted adversely the tourism industry on which the country has come to rely heavily to keep it afloat economically.

The new government has acted swiftly to address these two issues with the Immigration Department reverting to the earlier SLT Mobitel-powered process of granting visas and taking steps to quickly obtain sufficient number of passports to enable the issue of new passports expeditiously. 

But it seems that the tourism industry’s troubles are not yet over with the situation arising from the travel advisories issued by several countries including the United States and Israel.

The advisories drawing attention to possible threats to tourists in Arugam Bay was spotlighted in the international media making the local tourism stakeholders insecure with regard to the oncoming season.

The US Embassy’s advisory stated that it had received credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations in the Arugam Bay area and warned its citizens to avoid the Arugam Bay area until further notice.

Israel’s alert from its National Security Council calls on Israeli citizens to “immediately leave Arugam Bay and the south and west coastal areas of Sri Lanka.” It used the phrase “credible terrorism threats” in its advisory and recommended leaving Arugam Bay and the coastal areas in south and west Sri Lanka (including the cities Ahangama, Galle, Hikkaduwa and Weligama). “We recommend leaving these areas immediately. For those currently in these areas, we recommend leaving the country or at least travelling to the capital city Colombo, where there is heavier presence of local security forces,” stated the Advisory.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance headed by Malik Fernando raised questions as to why the advisories were issued and the language used in the advisories. He described them as a “cruel joke” and stated that it did not reflect the true situation which was that Sri Lanka was safe for tourists. Similar sentiments were expressed by the Tourism Small and Medium Enterprises Association who too took exception to the issue of travel advisories in haste.

The Public Security Minister Vijitha Herath has stated that the Government had taken steps to ensure the security of tourists not only in the Arugam Bay area but also in other parts of the country. The minister confirmed that the National Security Council too had met several times over the past two weeks and kept the situation under review.

Three arrests have been made and invstigations are under way. The United States Embassy will undoubtedly share the “credible information” described in their advisory with the Sri Lankan authorities which will help in getting to the bottom of the alleged threats.

Mr. Herath said that three suspects had been arrested based on suspicion but had not been found in possession of explosives or firearms. He stressed that the security agencies needed more time to investigate and determine whether the information about an attack on Israelis was accurate or not.

Minister Herath has also assured the public, both local and foreign, that there was no reason to fear potential attacks on Israelis or others, as all necessary security measures had been adopted. Mr. Herath expressed confidence that the travel advisories issued by countries such as the United States would soon be withdrawn, following discussions with foreign diplomats. “These nations are satisfied with the measures we have implemented, and they have confidence in sending their citizens to Sri Lanka for tourism,” Mr. Herath said.

One hopes that with all these measures the clouds that have been hovering over the tourism industry will pass.

However, there are several steps that the authrorities should consider taking in order to ensure that there are no similar situations arising in the future that may impact on the tourism sector.

For several months now locals and businesses along the southern and eastern coasts have voiced frustration about unlicenced foreign-run businesses impacting their income. Concerns have been raised over tourists from countries like Israel, Ukraine and Russia overstaying their visas and setting up illegal shops and lodgings without proper authorisation, particularly in tourist hotspots like Weligama, Galle, Mirissa, Hikkaduwa and Matara.

There have also been reports of restaurants, shops and signboards in Hebrew being set up in Arugam Bay as well as synagogues. Ruki Fernando a well known Civil Society activist who visited the area has confirmed these facts.

It is therefore not surprising that many impute sinister motives to these Israeli tourists whose home country has a history of “occupation” of other lands.

There are also allegations that Israeli soldiers are coming to Arugam Bay as part of their rest and recuperation process after a stint at the war front.

How much of this information is accurate one does not know but taking precautions to ensure that discontent among locals does not spread is worth taking in the National Interest.

Despite repeated calls by sources within the tourism industry, the previous Government took no action with regard to the issue of foreigners overstaying and conducting illegal businesses to the detriment of locals. The new situation that has arisen with the recent travel advisories should catalyse the Immigration and other Government authorities to quickly deal with this situation.

Another unwise decision by the previous Government to issue on arrival visas for visitors from certain countries can also contribute to a volatile situation being created in the tourism industry again. It will be prudent for visas from war torn countries like Israel and Ukraine to be issued only after a stringent vetting process and they be taken off from the list of countries being given visas on arrival.

While encouraging visitors from all countries to visit Sri Lanka, it is also in Sri Lanka’s interests to ensure that such visitors enjoy the country’s hospitality while adhering to local rules. Only then can Sri Lanka protect and develop the tourism industry which is so critical to the country’s economy.

(javidyusuf@gmail.com)