Tourism on the rebound in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is already witnessing a revival of the tourism industry that had been dormant due to the recent tensions in the country with hotels having great expectations to improve further on the current surge in occupancies.
“We are expecting a steady revival since bookings and inquiries are coming in” right now, former Tourist Hotels Association President and Jetwing Chairman Hiran Cooray told the Business Times.
He explained that most hotels are a “lot more healthier” and that occupancies had increased from 10-25 per cent and they have hopes that in September this number will grow further to 30-40 per cent.
Commenting on the drop in Russian traffic that is mainly attributed to the suspension of SriLankan Airlines and Aeroflot flights between Moscow and Colombo, he remained convinced that such traffic could continue and were already doing so as most other airlines like Emirates and Qatar Airways continue to operate on the route.
However, tour operators believe that these direct flights are crucial to attracting the large numbers of tourists from markets like Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan and other regional states.
SriLankan Airlines suspended operations to Moscow in March this year.
In this respect, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has made representations to the Foreign Ministry through the Tourism Ministry as well to engage in this matter to ensure the Aeroflot operations can resume.
In fact, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is said to have engaged the Prime Minister’s Office as well to assist in resolving this issue. However no confirmed response has yet been made.
Aeroflot suspended operations to Colombo following the grounding of its aircraft following a court order obtained by a third party.
SLTDA Chairman Priyantha Fernando told the Business Times that following an assurance from the government that there will not be a repeat of the last incident, authorities expect Aeroflot to resume operations by end September/October.
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