Entrance ticket fraud at tourist sites
The government, in a bid to overcome fraud where the same entrance ticket is sold repeatedly at tourist attraction sites, has since June 1 begun selling entrance tickets only at the site.
This method was adopted with the aim of avoiding frauds happening on a large scale which was brought to the notice of the Central Cultural Fund (CCF) that was in charge of charging these fees from visitors. Officials at the CCF state that a large number of frauds were carried out in the recent past due to the fact that tickets were issued previously in Colombo with upto 14 days in advance. This caused some racketeers to sell these tickets repeatedly as a result of which the practice was changed since June 1.
It was pointed out that following discussion with the travel industry since last December both parties seemed keen on improving the situation as a result of which they would be purchasing tickets sold with one day validity only and at the entrance to the sites, officials at the CCF explained.
However, some travel industry persons from Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) had approached the fund saying that they found it cumbersome to purchase it at the site due to the delays.
The CCF noted this was natural as any new programme would have delays and this method would be continued since it would continue to bring in the revenue to the state, which was considerably lost previously due to the fraudulent manner in repeatedly selling the 14 day valid tickets from Colombo.