Sri Lanka, which is battling an unprecedented economic crisis, is facing a severe shortage of fuel and other essential supplies. This has inspired tourists to find a way out of this beautiful island nation.
Tourism, one of the major contributors economy of sri lanka, Now after Kovid is going to see its weak phase. The tourism economy in Sri Lanka was still reviving but the economic crisis has weakened it again.
The government is left with no foreign reserves due to poor implementation of economic policies and huge debt.
The Sri Lankan government has not been able to pay its bills for importing oil and the fuel crisis has put a halt to the entire supply chain mechanism across the country.
Country Face power cuts for 10 to 12 hours a day, Due to the shortage of essential commodities, people are forced to take to the streets in protest against the government.
Amid protests in many parts of the country, a state of emergency has been imposed, curfew has been imposed and there are restrictions on social media.
Now, the development has made the tourists apprehensive and they are worried about the present scenario.
Read | Sri Lanka’s economic crisis explained in five charts
tourist cancellation booking
Tourists from London Sherry and Anita were staying in one of the 4 star hotels in Colombo. They are going back to London by canceling their booking.
Speaking to India Today, Shari said, “There are protests everywhere about the lack of fuel… and we don’t know what to do, so we are going back.”
Anita said, “While coming from the airport we took a train but due to power cut for more than four hours the train stopped and we came to know that there is power cut due to fuel crisis and under this uncertainty there are protests everywhere. So, my family is also worried and that’s why we have decided to go back to London or choose another place for our holidays.”
Whereas, reception manager Ishara at a 4-star hotel in Colombo said that there are no tourists left. Of the total 94 rooms, including domestic guests, only 30 rooms are occupied, and all future bookings are canceled by travel agencies.
Due to power cuts, commercial establishments, including hotels, survive through generators that require diesel, but there is currently a shortage in Sri Lanka.
If this situation continues, there will be a massive job crisis in the hospitality and the tourism industry is soon fearing Lahiru, the booking manager at another posh hotel in Colombo.
“Our bookings are getting cancelled. The worst part is that despite the peak season in Sri Lanka, no bookings are taking place in future,” he said.
The tourism and hospitality sector contributes to 12% of the total GDP of Sri Lanka. In 2019, the contribution of travel and tourism to total GDP was 12.6%, up from 6% in 2000 and growing at a pace of 4.28%. It is the fifth largest source of foreign revenue in Sri Lanka.
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