No cancellation of Indian holiday bookings in SL

Times of India, AHMEDABAD: Though the state of emergency has been declared in Sri Lanka amid communal strife, no cancellation of holiday bookings to the country has been reported from Gujarat. Tour operators and travel agents in Ahmedabad said that people who have already booked holiday packages to Sri Lanka have been inquiring about the current status and the safety situation. There have been no reports of tourists getting stranded in the island either.

“There are no cancellations as of now. The season starts after 25 April,” said Manish Sharma, a city-based tour operator. “With more than one-and-a-half months to go, customers are in the wait-and-watch mode.” Sri Lanka is a popular destination for tourists from Gujarat for summer holidays. In fact, around 15,000 people from Gujarat go vacationing overseas and Sri Lanka accounts for 10%-15% of such outbound tourists in summer.

“If tension prevails for more than a week or 10 days, there may be a dip in travel bookings,” said Anuj Pathak, secretary, Tour Operators & Travel Agents Association of Gujarat (TAG). “None of the popular tourist destinations is hit by communal tension. We are constantly in touch with the hoteliers in Sri Lanka to monitor the situation. In fact, all flights are operating as scheduled.” Most tour operators are encouraging tourists to opt for travel insurance. If cancellations are forced amid the current situation in Sri Lanka, travellers may get their money back.