Sri Lankan tourism under fresh attack
COLOMBO: Just when they thought it couldn’t get any worse, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has been plunged into further crisis following the air attack by Tamil Tiger rebels on a military base close to Colombo’s Bandaranaike international airport.
There was no damage to the international airport, but the attacks caused panic among passengers waiting in the departure lounge.
The first air raid by the Tigers on a government target is an escalation of the long-running civil war in Sri Lanka.
Several countries, including Australia and New Zealand, have beefed up their travel advice by asking their nationals to reconsider their need to travel to Sri Lanka.
Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka were already falling before Sunday night’s air raid.
Official figures show that arrivals to Sri Lanka fell 18.3 per cent to 52, 687 in February from the same month a year earlier, with the key markets of India and Germany posting the steepest falls.
The drop came after Sri Lanka had already lowered its forecast for tourism arrivals by 20 per cent to 543 877 for this year.
Visitors from neighbouring India fell almost 30 per cent to 7 350, despite hotels and the national airline SriLankan rolling out discount packages aimed at its northern neighbour.
Travellers from European destinations also stayed away as countries such as Britain, France and Germany issued negative travel advisories about Sri Lanka.
Fighting between troops and Tamil Tiger rebels has led to a sharp decline in bookings during the winter season, which is the peak time for the local leisure industry, the figures showed.
The tourist board launched a US$4.6 million campaign to promote Sri Lanka in India, Europe and China this year but it faces an uphill battle under Renton de Alwis, recently re-appointed chairman of Sri Lanka Tourist Board.
In his previous stint as SLTB chairman, de Alwis had to manage the July 2001 aftermath of the terrorist attack on the Colombo International Airport.
Ian Jarrett
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