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Tourism industry says normalcy has returned
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Tourists in Ella and Colombo (below): Tourism stakeholders remain confident post travel advisories. Pix by Nisal Baduge and Akila Jayawardena
By Minaza Hassan
Following the series of travel advisories which raised concerns about future bookings, the Sri Lankan tourism industry is confident of the return of normalcy.
“There is actually no major situation as such. It was only a kind of advisory and we didn’t face any real threat. So subsequently everything is normal and there are no reported cancellations, no reported losses of tourism whatsoever,” said Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Chairman, Budhdhika Hewawasam.
“The reason for the travel advisory is not a subject that we can predict but at the same time on our end, the safety is being guaranteed. The nature of defence is being certified to safety.’’
“We reassured after that advisory everything is safe in here and tourists are able to spend a normal and joyful time,” said Mr. Hewawasam
Initially, some hotels in Arugam Bay dealt with cancellations, but the situation has returned to normalcy, said A. M Jauffar of the Tourism Chamber.
“When this travel advisory was given, of course, the people were concerned, but it was handled well by the authorities. I believe the government took precautionary measures. They have taken precautions and they have communicated with the industry and we were able to give the right picture to the two operators and the partners,” said Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) president, Nalin Jayasundara.
“We dealt with a few cancellations, however, there was no major impact,” Mr. Jayasundara said.
He said Sri Lanka received the first charter from Russia, followed by three charters from Poland. “So that was a good start. Additionally, we had a few charters already from Russia last week.’’
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