Sri Lanka, a dream of an island strategically placed in the Indian Ocean, valued by empires in the past for its position and by thousands of travellers in the present for its laidback, stunning beaches and friendly, warm people. The peace of the island was shattered, however, when tragedy struck. But in the wake of the deadly terrorist attacks in April this year, Sri Lanka is slowly but surely regaining its footing as a beloved tourist destination. The chilling incident, dubbed the Easter Sunday 21st attacks brought the tourist industry to a standstill, as guests packed up and left within days and visitors from all over the globe cancelled their trips, as hotel bookings and flights vanished. Countries around the world issuing alarming warnings about travelling to the once idyllic island, encouraging nothing but the most essential travel. Naturally, the country itself suffered in the aftermath of this, with its economy facing losses. There were also very real consequences for the people of the island. This standstill was particularly dreadful for those who depended on tourism for their monthly income. Tour guides, drivers, hotel staff, those who sold souvenirs and others faced heavy losses as there was simply no one for them to offer their services to. This led to some inns and resorts being forced to close down. Some had to lower employee’s wages, with others even forced to let their staff go. Some entire villages or regions suffered from the lack of tourists, as their livelihoods depended on the influx of tourists that would flood these places. Drivers, tour guides and others who depend on sightseers for their monthly income had to get by with hardly anything. In short, the situation was looking quite dire.
If we consider the loss that this was to the country’s economy, CNN reported that Tourism brings in about $4.4 billion annually, which is a chillingly hefty figure to come face to face with. The same article reported that in May, there were 70% less visitors than last year, a stark number for what is normally one of the busiest times in the country. What cannot be counted in figures, but still contributed to the major losses, is the damage that Sri Lanka’s reputation took, important because it did not seem to be something that could be easily repaired.
Despite these dismal setbacks, however, a number of measures were taken to regroup with a look to eventually growing out of this adversity as an industry. Some hotels started offering steep discounts, and as a result the number of visitors coming into the country slightly went up. To some, this was the perfect time to visit the beautiful country and take in all of its attractions without facing the crowds. Some long-time fans also specifically made plans to visit the country in order to show solidarity, and support the country in its time of need. The discounts were thus a huge draw in getting Sri Lanka hotels back on their feet. They also helped hotels and other establishments stay afloat, so that they would not have to shut down during this time and thus lose a lot in the process. The government also sweetened the deal by offering visa-free arrivals and other measures that made it more accessible to travel to the country. In this way, Sri Lanka was committed to coming back from this blackout of sorts, and strengthening itself against the damage that it had taken.
The fruits of these measures have begun to show. In good news, visitor rates have been slowly but steadily climbing up. People are trickling back to this tropical paradise as the situation within the country was dealt with. Before the incident, Lonely Planet named Sri Lanka the best country to travel to in 2019. As a destination, Lonely Planet expressed that it felt it was right to keep Sri Lanka as the top rated country to travel to this year, saying it had earned this distinction and was bouncing back from the troubles it had faced. CN Traveler put the country at 4th place on its annual ‘Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards’, further cementing the resilience that has led to the tourist industry not giving up on the country. The international world is thus firm on its stand that Sri Lanka is a wonderful country to visit, and one that will only grow in the coming years. While not entirely there yet, Sri Lanka has experienced a miraculous recovery in a matter of months, and things can only get better.
(https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/sri-lanka-tourism-comeback/index.html)
