Industry leaders hail President’s push to reopen borders for tourism

From left: Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) President Thilak Weerasinghe, Jetwing Symphony Chairman Hiran Cooray,  Santani Resort Founder and CEO Vickum Nawagamuwage and The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka President Sanath Ukwatte 

By Charumini de Silva

Industry leaders yesterday welcomed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s keenness to reopen borders and resume tourism as early as possible.

Speaking at the Ceylon Chamber’s Virtual Economic Summit yesterday several tourism industry leaders described the President’s confidence to reopen the country to welcome international travellers as “sweet music to ears”.

Tourism veterans were of the view that the readiness of the country to reopen borders was important, adding that the protocol has already been put in place by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and health authorities for approval in the immediate future.

“We need to get ready to open our borders, but we have to be very cautious in that process as one mistake could lead to many issues. However, authorities and officials involved in the reopening process and putting a protocol in place studied all measures that other countries opened as well as planning to open. The challenge is to take all these into consideration and reopen borders,” Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) President Thilak Weerasinghe said.

He believes it was not too late for Sri Lanka to open the country, adding that it was critical to ensure that every measure was taken after proper consideration.

Weerasinghe also said that President Rajapaksa’s opening remarks at the Summit on Tuesday was a positive signal to the entire industry to reopen the borders for international travellers.

The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President Sanath Ukwatte stressed that President Rajapaksa has recognised tourism in his manifesto as a thrust sector and in several occasions he had indicated the need to reopen borders for international travellers. 

“He (President Rajapaksa) emphasised the need to reposition Sri Lanka,” he added.

“As industry players for the past 30 years, we have been marketing Sri Lanka on price and the President was very clear that Sri Lanka needs quality over quantity. This delivers a very strong message for the industry,” he said. 

Ukwatte also underlined the need to change the game plan. “We need to look at how to attract high spenders, which necessarily doesn’t mean rich clients, it is the quality that matters. I think we need to work closely with our regulator and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) and how to market Sri Lanka and find different segments of clientele,” he pointed out. 

Santani Resort Founder and CEO Vickum Nawagamuwage said it was critical to add value. “This is a time for the industry to take a step back and understand where we have been going wrong and create a new strategy and a new position for the country for the next 20 years,” he added. 

He stressed that this is not a time to start from where the industry stopped, but to leapfrog.

President on Monday virtually speaking at the CCC Summit acknowledged that the key tourism sector was the worst hit due to COVID. “Tourism usually contributes so much to our economy. Leaders in this industry together with the medical community must set out a plan to restart tourism as soon as possible,” the President said. 

“This plan must adhere to all health protocols and ensure tourists have an enjoyable stay in Sri Lanka while remaining isolated from the wider public. By imposing minimum lengths of stay and attracting high-spending tourists, it should maximise earnings from tourism so that the economy benefits overall,” Rajapaksa emphasised.

He said since the number of tourist arrivals may need to be limited early on, Sri Lanka should first reopen to the highest spending tourists. “This can also reposition Sri Lanka as a destination for higher end tourists, resulting in higher revenue generated by the industry in the long term,” the President added.

Early this week, the Daily FT exclusively reported Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando stating that reopening of borders for international tourists has been proposed from 1 January 2021 with safety measures in place with advice from health authorities.