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Saturday Jan 04, 2025
Monday, 30 December 2024 02:41 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Charumini de Silva
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is experiencing a surge in tourist activity during the end of year holiday season as expected, with over 200,000 visitors travelling countrywide this December.
This influx, coupled with an increase in domestic tourism, has pushed popular destinations to capacity.
It marks a positive recovery trajectory for the country’s tourism industry, which has faced multiple setbacks in the past five years.
Deputy Minister of Tourism Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe yesterday visited the iconic Nine Arch Bridge in Ella, where he interacted with both foreign and local tourists.
Following his observation visit, he outlined plans to establish observation stations in the area.
He also called on the public to exercise caution and consideration about preservation of the environment, importance of enjoying a seamless experience, safety of life, and security of destination.
“The boom in tourism is a welcoming experience after many years. However, the overcrowding at popular destinations underscores the need for better infrastructure and visitor management,” Prof. Ranasinghe added.
The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President M. Shanthikumar said the occupancy rates in Colombo and the suburbs have been robust after many years, but not uniformly high countrywide.
“Occupancy in Colombo is around 70%, with the suburbs reaching 80% to 85% on average,” he told the Daily FT.
He noted that while some hotels are fully booked on certain days, overall occupancy rates vary, indicating opportunities for further growth in the hospitality sector.
“The rates in Colombo and the suburbs’ hotel occupancy rates have been robust but not uniformly high,” he added.
Shanthikumar also expressed confidence in reaching the 3 million arrivals target next year.
“Now that we have crossed the 2 million milestone after 2019, the industry is confident in achieving the next year’s target of 3 million arrivals and $ 5 billion income,” he said, subjecting that rollout of global promotions takes place at the earliest in 2025.
For 2024, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) originally planned 2.3 million arrivals and over $ 4 billion revenue; however, it was later revised downward to 2.1 million following the multiple challenges the industry faced with the mid-year visa crisis and the adverse travel advisory in the latter part of the year.
Last Thursday, Sri Lanka welcomed its 2 millionth tourist – a number which was achieved after a five-year hiatus.
Industry stakeholders are hopeful that lessons learned during this year will inform long-term strategies to boost visitor experience and improve Sri Lanka’s reputation as a premier tourist destination.
