'Sri Lanka set to bounce back after Easter trauma' 

Head table, from left Sanath Ukwatte, Kishu Gomes, Brig. Sumith Atapattu, Harith Perera. (Pic by Dharamasena Welipitiya)

By Steve A. Morrell-May 10, 2019, 12:00 pm

'Countries worldwide have not been spared the trauma of terrorism. Around 139 ISIS attacks were carried out over the past few years, including the US tragedy of 9 / 11. Similarly, France, Germany, Canada, Bali, India, Thailand, Egypt, were also attacked, where some 6,400 people were reported killed. These countries have bounced back. Similarly Sri Lanka too would recover.'

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) convened a well attended press conference recently and the above were some of the sentiments expressed by it.

Hoteliers, tour operators, high powered security personnel, PR agencies, electronic and print media were present to glean necessary information and assess needs for the future to normalize the tourism industry.

Chairman, SLTPB Kishu Gomes describing the Easter Sunday tragedy said among 243 dead 42 were foreigners; over 500 others were reported injured.

'Although these tragic events resulted in trauma to families and other sections the expectations are that within a few months the position would be normalized. Tourists would again visit the island confident of safety, Sri Lanka Inward Tour Operators (SLITO) president Harith Perera said.

He conceded that the immediate repercussions took the form of tourists withdrawing their visit itinerary to Sri Lanka and loss of revenue to the tune of $ 1.5 billion.

The Bureau met to coordinate damage- control which included the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, the defense services, Sri Lanka inbound tour operators and others. He confirmed up to April this year around 180,000 tourists visited the island. But post Easter Sunday the number reduced drastically.

Some 4300 tourists were registered daily before Easter Sunday, this figure dropped to 1300.

Gomes said the Bureau was continuing with its plans to hold scheduled events for the year. For example, the Tuk Tuk races, surfing competitions on the east coast, Golf competitions including other major events planned earlier during the year.

He was thankful for the assistance from about 30 global media organizations who pledged their support. He also made special mention of the PR and Ad agency JWT volunteering their support.

'The security position would have to be strengthened to ensure a return to normalcy as quickly as possible, Gomes added.

Present at the head table were also president, The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), Sanath Ukwatte, Brigadier Sumith Atapattu and Harith Perera.

Brigadier Atapattu said action taken resulted in island wide search operations. 'Such operations resulted in 70 to 80 % success. Some terrorists on being confronted committed suicide. 15,000 troops were deployed for search operations. There are sufficient personnel to deal with any future contingencies, he said.

Sanath Ukwatte said this is the first time tourists and tourist hotels were targeted. The hotel sector has some 500,000 employees. Those dependent on the sector were assessed at around 2 million. He confirmed the sector would not lay off those in employment but also said their take – home pay packet could be affected because of limited guest occupation, resulting in a low service charge.

In these times of stress Ukwatte suggested tax relief and bank concessions. However, the sector would depend on intense security to bring back foreign visitors. He agreed many countries had imposed travel bans on Sri Lanka. Action taken by the SLTPB to defuse the current position was noted with appreciation.