Tourism industry raises concerns over Presidential candidates’ silence on visa crisis

• Claims silence is puzzling as all four main candidates highlight tourism as a key pillar in election manifestos for economic stability
• Says failure to resolve visa issue could lead to social crisis with seasonal workers not being recruited; reduced service charges across the board
• Calls on candidates to address issues and take meaningful action to support industry
• Says industry’s over 1 m voter base could be decisive in 2024 Presidential election outcome

By Charumini de Silva

Tourism industry stakeholders yesterday voiced growing concerns over the lack of attention from key Presidential candidates regarding the pressing issues facing the sector, particularly the ongoing visa crisis.

The silence is especially puzzling, given that all four main candidates have highlighted the tourism industry as a key pillar in their election manifestos for economic recovery.

“This makes us wonder if all these candidates are in someone’s pocket,” they claimed.

The tourism industry directly employs around 11% of the country’s workforce. The sector has around 500,000 direct employees and supports another 300,000 to 400,000 indirect workers. 

Overall, this accounts for a nearly 1 million direct voter base from the tourism industry alone. In addition, there are also another 3 million dependants, representing a significant political force in the upcoming Presidential election.

Despite this, industry representatives noted that none of the leading candidates have adequately addressed the visa issue or proposed concrete solutions.

“It seems that no one is bothered by the issue not being resolved promptly, particularly the Government. Only one candidate raised this in Parliament, whilst others have remained mum about it within the Parliament and outside,” they claimed. 

Stakeholders pointed out that the visa issue is crucial for the survival of the tourism industry, which is still recovering from the multiple crises it faced since 2019.

They warned that failure to resolve the visa crisis could lead to a social crisis with seasonal workers facing unemployment, with all workers seeing significant reduction in their service charges during the most awaited winter season.

Tourism industry representatives continue to call on the candidates to address these issues and take meaningful action to support the country’s most vital sector that generates much needed foreign exchange and employment at this crucial juncture of economic revival.

“Our industry’s over 1 million voter base could play a decisive role in the 21 September Presidential election outcome,” they asserted.