As political crisis continues tourists cancel hotel bookings

Amid political tensions in Sri Lanka,   tourists are cancelling hotel bookings just as the country  prepares for peak tourist season.

While no official figures have been given, according to a report by AFP luxury hotels have reported cancellations and a critical decline in new bookings in the past 10 days.

"This comes at the worst possible time when people in Europe are making their holiday plans abroad," a Colombo city hotel executive told AFP

"We have had a lot of cancellations from the United States."

Western nations have warned their citizens to be on their guard in Sri Lanka.

"You should exercise vigilance and avoid all demonstrations or large political gatherings," a British government advisory said.

Tourism is a cornerstone of the economy. More than 2.4 million foreign holidaymakers visited Sri Lanka last year, spending US$3.2 billion (S$4.4 billion). The authorities had been counting on a rise of more than 10 per cent this year.

The Asian Development Bank had predicted that the economy would grow by 3.8 per cent this year and 4.5 per cent in 2019, but all bets are now off.

The power vacuum has raised doubts over a US$1.5 billion Japanese-funded light rail project and another US$480 million of US finance for transport and health, Minister  Champika Ranawaka, said last week.

The International Monetary Fund was about to announce an agreement on releasing a new tranche of a US$1.5 billion loan to Sri Lanka when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Mr Wickremesinghe on Oct 26.