Sri Lanka expects tourism industry to return to last year’s level in a few weeks
Sri Lanka’s Tourism Development Minister John Amaratunga has reportedly said the country is expecting its tourism industry to recover from the Easter Sunday attacks in April to the levels of 2018 within weeks.
“In August, arrivals have reached 5,000 in some days, and even 6,000,” Amaratunga has told journalists in Colombo.
In August 2018, arrivals had averaged 6,463.2 a day.
Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB), Kishu Gomes has been quoted as saying that average arrivals were 4,700 in the first 20 days with arrivals picking up to 5000 to 6,000 in the past few days.
Amaratunga has reportedly said that with the current momentum, arrivals to Sri Lanka will recover in weeks, rather than months, backed by a re-endorsement of the country as the world’s top destination by Lonely Planet, and Travel and Leisure naming it the world’s top island.
“We are almost there and it is now a matter of weeks rather than months for the industry to return to normal,” the Minister has said.
The government of Sri Lanka had re-built links with the West and key markets like UK and Germany, which also influenced global travel insurers and operators.
Gomes has stated that arrivals are expected to reach 175,000 in August, compared to 200,359 a year earlier, with a late month boost from a Bohra convention which will bring 25,000 visitors to Sri Lanka.
He has further stated that visitor levels may even surpass the September and October records set in 2018, in the run to achieve a 2 million arrivals target set after the Easter Sunday setback.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has shown impressive signs of returning to normalcy following the setback suffered in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks in April. Tourist arrivals to the country have shown a steady increase and several foreign airlines have commenced operating flights to Colombo. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s tourism authorities have commenced promotional campaigns overseas and introduced several packages/deals for the foreign travellers. This has resulted in the tourism sector fast returning to its former glory. Therefore foreign businesses/investors could explore business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism sector.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/28082019/Z_4 |