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Sri Lanka Tourism sets two targets based on two scenarios

05 Jun 2022

  • 650,000 arrivals if current crises prevails; 850,000 if situation improves 
– By Imsha Iqbal and Shenal Fernando The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has revised down its tourism arrival projections for 2022 for the third time this year, due to the current crisis in the country which has negatively impacted tourist arrivals to the country. However, the authorities have now set two targets based on two scenarios.  Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, SLTDA Director General Dhammika Wijesinghe stated that considering the current crisis situation in the country, SLTDA had decided to revise their tourist arrival projections for 2022.  “We have considered two scenarios and developed our projections accordingly. The first scenario is if the current situation prevails, whereupon the anticipated tourist arrival for the year 2022 is 650,000. The second scenario is if the situation improves, whereupon the projected tourist arrivals for the year 2022 will be around 850,000,” Wijesinghe noted. She further added that if Sri Lanka had a good winter season, tourist arrivals in 2022 may reach one million. However, she admitted that such a development would rely heavily upon the improvement of the current unfavourable conditions in the country.  She also noted that the revenue generated from tourism had contracted due to the recent developments in the country because the duration of tourist stays had decreased. This is reflected by the fact that the average duration of a tourist stay has contracted from 10.23 days during the period of January to March this year, to around 9.8 days at present. Nevertheless, Wijesinghe anticipated that the revenue may have decreased simultaneously due to the duration of the stay being shortened amidst the crisis. The Morning Business reported on 30 May that Minister of Tourism and Lands Harin Fernando, in an interview with India-based international media channel WION on 28 May, stated that the number of tourist arrivals had decreased to a daily average of 900 at present, when the daily average used to be 10,000 foriegn tourists. Initially, the tourist arrival target was 1.1 million for this year. However, on 10 April The Morning Business reported that former Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism S. Hettiarachchi stated that due to the decline of tourist arrivals, the aforesaid tourist arrival target of 1.1 million for the year was unlikely to be achieved, although there was a trend for tourist arrivals to gradually decline in April.  Explaining the economic crisis, Hettiarachchi added: “This is like the chicken and egg theory. If we can bring more tourists, we can get more foreign exchange to import essential goods, but until electricity, fuel, and gas are sorted out they will not come. It is very difficult to reach the target set for 2022.”    


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