The lack of tourism promotions would cause a lag in the arrival of tourists to the country in the coming months, which will eventually put the industry at stake amidst the prevailing forex crisis, warned the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism Sri Lanka (ASMET) and the Colombo City Restaurant Collective (CCRC). 

In a joint press briefing under the theme “One Industry, One Voice” which was held yesterday (22) at Ramada Colombo, it was noted: “The visible lack of tourist promotions is one of the main issues the industry, including the formal SMEs, continues to face as the regulatory bodies focus more on consumer-based marketing than the business-to-business promotional activities, such as trade fairs, road shows, etc.”

The concerns of the tourism sector were raised at the briefing, regarding the fuel shortage, five-hour-long daily power cuts, the unavailability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), as well as the import restrictions placed on specific goods that are not available locally, such as “salmon, imported steaks, lamb, cheese, wine, and spirits”.

Speaking on the Orugodawatta incident which took place on Monday (21) where Sri Lankans who were in a fuel queue stopped a bus which was transporting 25 Hungarian tourists, Sunway Holidays Managing Director (MD) Ramesh Dassanayake expressed his dismay over the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) not having yet made any statement with regard to this situation, and explained that such would affect the number of tourist arrivals. 

He said: “People should not put their hearts before their brains.” However, he expressed gratitude towards the police officials who intervened in the heated situation, saying the officials “handled (the situation) tactfully without damaging the reputation of the country or the industry”.