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By Charumini de Silva
Anuradhapura Hotels Association said 26 tourist hotels in the area are at risk of bankruptcy by May, as the industry counted rising losses after the ancient city was removed from the tourist map in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks, and for the decade before.
They claimed that due to negligence shown towards Anuradhapura in tourism development programs, the tourist industry in the area has continued to deteriorate, leading to the bankruptcy of several tourist hotels.
“Anuradhapura Hoteliers did not get a working capital loan scheme, Sancharaka Podda or any other assistance to cushion financial constraints. Today, 26 tourist hotels in Anuradhapura are on the verge of bankruptcy,” Anuradhapura Hotels Association President Preethi De Silva told the Daily FT.
He stressed that most of the travel agents shifted tourist traffic to Dambulla, Sigiriya and Habarana and started their own hotels in those areas, making Anuradhapura a day excursion only if tourists insist.
“There is very low tourist traffic after Anuradhapura was removed from tourist map after the civil war, and so far it has not been addressed properly. Most of the travel agents, tour guides, chauffeur guides are all promoting spas, batik shops and gem shops in the Habarana area but completely rule out Anuradhapura, stating it is also like Polonnaruwa,” he said.
De Silva said that tourist arrivals to Anuradhapura dropped by nearly 70% post-Easter Sunday attacks, followed by a severe drought which also discouraged local travellers.
He also claimed that not having a proper monitoring system for a homestay model, which creates low price competition, has impacted the income of the Anuradhapura hoteliers.
De Silva called on the Government to convert all their present loans to the Enterprising Sri Lanka loan scheme which has 6.5% interest with a long term (10 years) pay back plan, and to waive current interest charges for 2019 post-Easter Sunday.
In terms of adding Anuradhapura back onto the tourist map and luring more travellers, De Silva suggested introducing one ticket to visit all Cultural Triangle sites and other tourist attractions, instead of issuing tickets at separate locations. “By introducing a bundled ticket, the tourists will stay at each site for at least three days longer for more exploration, and hoteliers in the area will also benefit,” he added.
With two election cycles this year, he feared that the overall performance of the tourism industry would deteriorate further.
“Last Presidential Election was held during the peak tourist season which had a very negative impact on us, as most tourists hadn’t gotten travel insurance and shifted to other destinations,” he said.
Daily FT learns that Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has already instructed the relevant officials to include Anuradhapura in future tourism development programs.
He has also assured the hoteliers in Anuradhapura that the Government will look into this issue, as well as the relevant bank loans and other problems faced by the hotel owners.
Anuradhapura to get eco park
Cabinet this week gave its approval for the establishment of an eco park within a 200-acre land at Nachchaduwa, Thalawa and Central Nuwaragam Palatha Divisional Secretariat Divisions in the Anuradhapura District, belonging to the Department of Forest Conservation.
The Cabinet proposal was presented by Minister of Environment and Wildlife Resources S.M. Chandrasena.
Cabinet noted that the Anuradhapura area, a tourist zone where local and foreign tourists visit all throughout the year, is abundant with natural resources like forests and wild animals, and has become an extremely attractive environment with large lakes and paddy fields.
The Ministry has also pointed out that there was potential to develop eco-tourism through the sustainable utilisation of these resources, which will also create an atmosphere conducive to attracting more foreign tourists to the country.
