Weather crisis: Some tourists to postpone trips to Sri Lanka
View(s):By Sunimalee Dias
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has taken charge of ensuring the safety of tourists and is adhering to necessary precautions required and requested most arrivals to be postponed in the wake of the cyclonic storm Ditwah that hit the country on Thursday.
While southern resorts have been largely unaffected by the crisis, the problem areas are the hill country and the Northcentral Province. All tourist sites have been closed since Thursday while some travellers are considering postponing their visit plans.
Some resort properties in Nuwara Eliya had been damaged while the rooms of a hotel in Kandy had been flooded forcing about 35 guests to be shifted to the bar area.
At the moment tourist arrivals are being postponed without any further notice since accessibility to hotels (particularly to the hill country) have been blocked as roads are flooded, Nuwara Eliya Hotels Association former President Shaam Weerasooriya has said. But these postponements will not be subjected to any charges.
Meanwhile, travellers already in the country on tour or just arrived have been taken to safe hotels and transit hotels.
Mr. Weerasooriya said some travellers have been placed in hotels somewhere closer to Colombo like the transit hotels as these places are functioning well especially the city hotels. Transportation is also provided to these locations in which areas the roads are accessible.
Some tourists have also been placed in hotels in Kandy that are currently full due to their inability to go further to hotels like in Nuwara Eliya.
Hotels in Nuwara Eliya have been in touch with travel agents and tour guides to establish communication with their guests and ensure their safety while touring or visiting the country, Mr. Weerasooriya said.
He noted that the hotels are very safe and that the transportation systems are safe as well and a system to protect travelers when moving from one place to another.
The Tourist Police has also been located in almost all police stations in areas where travelers are lodging to ensure their safety.
Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators President Nalin Jayasundere said that they are ensuring the safety of all travellers and not taking any risks since certain roads are not passable. However, he noted there are no cancellations at present.
Sri Lanka is reportedly facing the worst climatic conditions with incessant rains and strong winds resulting in 56 deaths, 14 injured and 21 displaced as at 9 am on Friday according to the Disaster Management Centre. This stormy weather named Ditwa has impacted 20 districts in the country.
So far the main rivers have overflowed causing a flood situation in most areas and as a result of the heavy rains earth slips and landslides have been reported from a number of hilly areas due to which roads and railway lines have hampered travel to and from a number of districts.
The crisis comes just as Sri Lanka is targeting 2.3-2.5 million tourists in 2025.
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