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Friday, 14 July 2017 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Charumini de Silva
The dengue outbreak will put the country’s lucrative tourism sector in jeopardy if authorities do not act to arrest the situation, several tourism industry associations warned yesterday.
They pointed out that a lack of preventive measures to control the situation would force travellers to avoid Sri Lanka and choose other competitive destinations, which would eventually impact the country’s target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals by the year’s end.
The Hotels Association Chairman Sanath Ukwatte said that although they had not received any major complaints from members regarding the cancellation of hotel bookings so far, the few countries issuing travel advisories against Sri Lanka may create an impact on future reservations.
“There is a chance that this dengue outbreak will put off future bookings,” he stated.
While the Government takes quick measures to prevent the spread of dengue, he suggested the tourism authorities must promote Sri Lanka as a safe destination for travel, noting that otherwise there will be a definite drop in tourist arrivals, noting that few Western countries have already issued a travel advisory over the country’s prevailing high dengue infection rate.
However, Ukwatte asserted that there were no immediate threats to the resorts of the country and they were functioning as usual.
Meanwhile, the Bentota Beruwala Hoteliers Association’s spokesperson said there were a significant number of cancellations of hotel bookings soon after the floods and dengue outbreak.
“There were many cancellations and travellers are avoiding Sri Lanka. We assume these cancellations are a result of the floods and spread of dengue,” he noted.
The Kalutara Hoteliers Association spokesperson said there were still no records of cancellations, but there were no new significant bookings.
However, the spokesperson acknowledged that repeat travellers have continued to visit their member hotels despite the current situation.
“I think the tourism authority has a major responsibility to counterattack the negative impression Sri Lanka is getting with regards to dengue. I think they should conduct an awareness program with the help of the foreign missions to say that the coastal belt of the island is safe for travellers,” he stressed.
Furthermore, he said that if the situation was not addressed immediately, the tourism industry would be significantly affected.
City Hotels Association President M. Shanthikumar said only a few cancellations were reported.
Though the Colombo District has recorded the highest number of dengue patients thus far, he pointed out that the association’s members were not affected and each city hotel was taking precautions in their own capacity.
The tourism sector accounts for close to 5% of Sri Lanka’s economy. Tourist arrivals and revenue hit record highs in 2016, with annual arrivals jumping 14% to a record 2.05 million.
Contrary to the requests of the industry, Tourism Development Minister John Amaratunga when contacted said it was best to remain quiet and take every step to alert the people of the country to prevent the spread of dengue.
“I think we should remain silent. We cannot stop the issuing of a travel advisory. What we must do is make the public aware about the prevention of dengue,” he explained.
Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Director General Malraj Kiriella confirmed there were no reported cases of travellers contracting dengue.
He said there is minimal risk of dengue along coastal areas and the SLTDA has taken steps along with the hotels to create awareness and launch programs to clean the surroundings.
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Director General Suthesh Balasubramanium said a social media campaign has commenced to convey that “tourists are in the country and they are moving around as usual.”
He added that once the Health Ministry confirms that the dengue outbreak has been brought under control, they will issue a statement, with the help of foreign missions, that Sri Lanka is safe for travellers to visit.
Health Ministry Community Specialist - Dengue Eradication Unit Dr. Priscilla Samaraweera said if serious measures were not taken to properly manage the disease over the next two weeks the situation could worsen as the prevailing weather conditions were favourable for the dengue mosquito to continue breeding.
According to the Health Ministry Epidemiology Unit’s statistics, a total of 87,636 dengue cases have been reported islandwide, while around 42% of these cases were reported from the country’s Western Province, with the Colombo District recording close to 20,000 patients, the highest number in the island.
Sri Lanka Tourism clinched two prestigious awards at the World Travel Awards Ceremony held in the Maldives last week. Competing among 47 countries in Asia, Sri Lanka bagged the awards for ‘Asia’s Leading Destination’ and ‘Asia’s Leading Adventure Tourism Destination’.
An elated Minister of Tourism Development John Amaratunga noted that these awards were important milestones in Sri Lanka’s tourism promotional efforts.
“Securing these two top accolades at the prestigious World Travel Awards Ceremony will continue to draw the spotlight on destination Sri Lanka. The awards have confirmed Sri Lanka’s pre-eminent position as Asia’s Leading Destination while also consolidating its newly acquired status of Asia’s Leading Adventure Tourism Destination,” Minister Amaratunga added.
The awards were received by Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Managing Director Sutheash Balasubramanium and SLTPB Director Marketing Madhubani Perera.
Meanwhile, following an invitation extended by Sri Lanka Tourism, World Travel Awards Executive Committee has agreed to explore the possibility of hosting the gala ceremony in Sri Lanka in 2019. Sri Lanka Tourism also used the opportunity to showcase the island’s tourism attractions through a video presentation to the high profile audience representing the region’s leading destinations.
Among the attendees at the gala event were World Travel Awards Chairman and Founder Graham Cooke and Minister of Tourism in Maldives Hussain Lirar.
In addition to Sri Lanka tourism many local hotels, airlines and travel companies also won various awards at the event. They include SriLankan Airlines which was selected as Asia’s Leading Airline in the Indian Ocean and Asia’s Leading Cultural Airline, Casa Colombo as Asia’s Leading Design Hotel, Hilton Colombo as Sri Lanka’s Leading Business Hotel.
Movenpick Colombo won two awards as Sri Lanka’s Leading Hotel and Sri Lanka’s Leading Hotel Suite. Aitken Spence Travels bagged Sri Lanka’s Leading Destination Management Company award while Taya Finch became Sri Lanka’s Leading Travel Agency. Habarana Lodge was named Sri Lanka’s Leading Family Resort.
