Sri Lanka Tourism Industry has optimistic outlook
The attack on Bandaranaike International Airport and the adjoining air force base at Katunayake on 24 July 2001 by Tamil Tigers was the biggest terrorist operation ever launched by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the most destructive terrorist attack in the history of aviation.
With this in mind, when unidentified aircraft were spotted north of the airport recently, the airport was briefly shut down and flights were diverted to India. This has resulted in some airlines pulling out from Sri Lanka and the government limiting the time for aircraft operations from 4 am to 10 pm only.
It has not been good news for the already ailing Sri Lankan travel industry. The industry is optimistic that, like past occasions, tourism can be revived. Though the situation is still volatile, all the key players in Sri Lankan tourism, including the Tourism Ministry and The Sri Lanka Tourist Board are working on easing current tensions and are proceeding with all their tactical plans in international markets.
International visitors still travel to Sri Lanka even though Sri Lanka’s armed conflicts have been around for a long time. Sri Lanka has managed to remain one of the top worldwide tourist destinations, and the belief is that the Industry now has the experience on dealing with crisis situations, so its full steam ahead for all the various tourism development plans.
The impact of the latest incidents longer term is yet to be determined, however, in the short term, hotels may be forced to close down unless there is some form of government assistance, and tourists already in Sri Lanka are cutting short their holidays heading for home!
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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