THASL lists immediate measures for new Govt.’s consideration to revive tourism

Given the continuous challenges faced by the industry, The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) in its statement congratulating the new Government, made the following set of immediate measures to support the industry,

1. Introduce a two-year debt moratorium of capital and interest on all loans and advances 

2. Introduce a wage support loan of Rs. 20,000 per employee at 4% interest and repayable over at least a 10-year period  

3. Lift travel restrictions and enhance health protocols for safe travel. Travel restrictions could first be lifted for certain countries or regions through creating travel corridors. These could initially include countries that have managed to control the pandemic successfully 

4. Encourage domestic tourism by declaring a four-day work week, similar to that being explored by number of countries, or by declaring the last Friday of the month a public holiday for the next three months 

5. To establish a task force for tourism to prepare a tourism recovery plan by consulting all stakeholders to rebuild Sri Lanka