Harin tells BBC in London “Sri Lanka is resilient”

Sri Lanka Tourism displayed a strong message about the resilience and openness for business at the world’s largest travel fair in London WTM 2022, being held from 7 to 9 November.

“We are a resilient nation and tourism is one of the main foreign exchange generating industries. The value for money tourists will get in Sri Lanka will in turn help to recover from the ongoing economic crisis as well,” said Tourism Minister Harin Fernando in a brief interview with the BBC on the side-lines of the inauguration of the WTM on Monday.

When asked how Sri Lanka will assure a comfortable stay for tourists coming to Sri Lanka amidst an ongoing economic crisis, Fernando said the recession is now felt by the entire world, but Sri Lanka felt it harder following back-to-back challenges it faced from the Easter bombing in 2019, pandemic in 2020 and economic crisis due to bad policies in 2021.

“Sri Lanka’s hospitality has not died because the inflation is high. Our people remain hospitable and are waiting to welcome tourists with a smile. Coming to Sri Lanka during the winter is cheaper than paying gas prices in Europe. It is 10 times cheaper for Europeans to spend on a quality holiday in Sri Lanka,” he added.

Responding to a question on whether Sri Lanka is overpriced compared to its closest competitors, he said: “Sri Lanka has a different product offering, we are not Bali or Thailand. We are not going for the numbers, but the price that you want to find could be found in Sri Lanka as hotels, resorts and boutique villas have priced it in such a way, to cater to every segment of tourists.”

Noting that many international airlines such as Air France, KLM, Swiss Air and several others have restarted calling at Colombo, Minister Fernando attributed it due to the potential they see Sri Lanka as a top travel destination.

During the first five days of November, Sri Lanka welcomed 8,552 visitors, boosting confidence among industry for a busy winter season. A total of 576,810 visitors have arrived in Sri Lanka so far, the provisional data by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed.