The sudden surge in the arrival of tourists to the country indeed is a positive development and a great boon to the industry which plunged into the doldrums following the Easter Sunday carnage and the Covid pandemic not to mention the economic crisis. According to State Minister for Tourism Diana Gamage addressing a press conference carried as our main story yesterday, 763,000 tourists arrived in the country during the first seven months of this year contributing to a significant income of USD 800 million. She said this was a growth rate of 205 percent compared to the previous year adding that tourism was once again on course to making a significant contribution to the country’s economy. She said that her ministry is undertaking new programmes to boost tourism such as hosting of the final round of the Miss World Pageant recently and also the final round of the Miss Tourism World pageant. Another significant event is slated for December namely the final contest of the World Travel Awards. The State Minister said the Government’s target was to bring revenue from tourism to the levels of 2018, by the end of this year.
This could well be a realistic target since in the first 27 days of July alone a record 123,503 foreign visitors arrived in the country. The Government must ensure there is no letup in the trend. All efforts must go towards promoting Sri Lanka as an attractive destination and even drawing in visitors that have a fascination for the Maldives. This is where the idea mooted by State Minister Gamage for an active nightlife in the city of Colombo with all the attractions should gain currency with the authorities. Needless to say, Asian cities such as Bangkok have a heavy influx of tourists due to the attractions offers via their glittering nightlife. Of course, there could be objections emanating from the members of the Sangha and even other religious leaders for replicating such a scenario in this country. But as they say, one cannot have the cake and eat it. Besides, the country is sorely in need of foreign exchange to shore up its depleted economy. Other areas that would hold the interests of tourists too should be explored. The recent move by Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana to introduce a luxury train to a hill country destination with stoppages en route at scenic locations for the benefit of tourists no doubt is a novel idea that would captivate the interests of our foreign visitors. Sri Lanka is also home to attractive waterways, canals and rivers that could be made used for boat cruises for tourists like the gondolas in Venice.
The fast picking up tourist, industry is a welcome development not only viewed from an economic perspective but also from the point of view of the industry which suffered a death blow from the twin disasters of the Easter attack and the pandemic. Not just the bombing of the churches, the mayhem wreaked in three five-star hotels while tourists were at their Easter breakfast killings dozens of them, no doubt, must have created a nightmare picture of the country among all would-be foreign visitors. That things are fast returning to normal and the industry is picking up must certainly be gratifying to all hoteliers most of whom had to put up shutters throwing out thousands out of employment both direct and indirect. Certain small-time hoteliers have still to recover from the blow with some 40 such hotels in the South still closed for business. The Government, therefore, should grant all the incentives and other packages to ensure things return to normal as fast as possible. Some small-time hoteliers, at the outset, came on TV to complain that the increase in the bank interest rates has made it impossible for them to pay back their loans and bring their businesses back on track. Thankfully, the bank rates have now been slashed which hopefully will help these hoteliers in some measure.
As already mentioned, a vigorous campaign should be launched to promote the country’s tourism potential abroad as is currently being undertaken by Tourism Minister Harin Fernando. Nothing untoward should be done by individuals and groups over here to frighten away our foreign visitors or cause them inconvenience or act in a manner that would deter them from visiting this country.
The continuous protests and the resultant skirmishes between the Police and agitators where teargas and water cannons are fired are also not the best way to bring tourists to this country. Perhaps the situation was put into context succinctly by State Minister Gamage during the press briefing when she said that the actions of even a single individual can have a significant impact on the reputation of Sri Lanka as a tourist destination.
