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Economic crisis: Tourism takes a hit

19 Mar 2022

  • LPG shortage and power outages hit tourism sector
  • Tourists complain about power cuts
  • Small hotels, villas and vendors impacted
  • SLAITO and THASL seek Govt. solutions to fuel and gas shortage
  • Travel advisories affect inflow
By Uwin Lugoda  The Historic Galle Fort, one of Sri Lanka’s top tourism hubs, is struggling under the collective impact of the power and gas shortages. This, as the tourism sector – a vital part of Sri Lanka’s forex inflow – attempts to recover from three years of strife. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, stakeholders and patrons of Galle’s tourism industry have voiced concerns about the recurring power outages and the shortage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). This impact has now reached the Galle Fort, which is one of Sri Lanka’s hottest tourism destinations. Stakeholders According to the Chef of The Bastille, a restaurant inside Galle Fort, Sugath Perera, tourists visiting the venue have constantly complained about the impact from power cuts over the last few days.  He explained that while they had been exempt from these power cuts earlier, the Fort also now experienced two- to five-hour-long power cuts each day.  “Tourists come to our restaurant for comfort; they want to cool down after walking around the Fort, especially during these hot days. However, when we have power cuts, these tourists are not happy and most of them complain about it to us. But what can we do?” said Perera.  He further stated that the shortage of LP gas had also impacted the restaurant, resulting in uncertainty about their day-to-day activities.  Similarly, the owner of a villa inside the Fort pointed out that the LPG shortage had become a serious issue, with them having to resort to using kerosene, which was also scarce.  They said that on two days in the past week their kitchen had to be closed down due to this shortage, resulting in a loss of revenue. “We usually make a lot of money from our bed and breakfast package, but right now we cannot guarantee the breakfast part. Fortunately for us, the guests we’ve had so far have been understanding of the situation, but there are other villas inside the Fort that have not been so lucky,” they said. They stated that the power cuts had not impacted them as much since they had a generator. However, they explained that the situation was not ideal as the collective noise of all the generators was not a pleasant experience for their guests.  “Luckily for us, we have a generator with enough capacity to run our villa for a day or two. But we are a small villa and we are surrounded by similarly small establishments, which all use generators. When the power goes and all our generators go on, the entire area vibrates with sound, which the guests do not like.” Moreover, the villa owner stated that the recent shortage of diesel would render their generators unusable. They stated that if the power cuts were scheduled, they could plan their functions accordingly, but when the power was cut without a plan, they were left helpless. Hotels and restaurants are not the only businesses impacted by these power cuts, with even small vendors suffering.  The owners of a jewellery and leather shop inside the Fort complained about the power cuts impeding their ability to sell their products to tourists. They explained that when the power went out during business hours, tourists avoided coming into the smaller shops, in favour of larger ones with generators. As such, they stated that they have had several tourists walking out of their stores when the power goes out. “When power goes out during the showing of our products, the tourists just walk out. We can’t buy a generator now, the prices have gone up from around Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 500,000 and even when we have a generator there is no diesel to power it. How are we expected to bring in dollars to the country and make a living?” They stated that these issues had led to fewer tourists coming into the Fort, with most of them opting to stay in their hotels with generators. They added that the situation had also led to some tourists rethinking the length of their stay in the country. Tourists Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Hungarian tourist Peter Rukige stated that the power cuts had negatively impacted his experience in Sri Lanka.  He explained that having to plan his stay around them had not been pleasant and that when the power cuts were not scheduled, it made planning even harder. “If they properly stick to the schedules they provide, we can do something and plan around it. But the ones I experienced did not start or end when they were supposed to and that left me confused,” said Rukige. Another German couple, Erica and Mathew Weber, stated that this was a new experience for them. They said that while they had experienced power cuts while travelling South Asia, none had been as long or as frequent as the ones in Sri Lanka. “We only noticed the power cuts when we stayed at small boutique hotels, not the larger ones because they have generators. The last one we experienced lasted for three or four hours and in this heat it was very hard,” said the couple. Similar sentiments were shared by a tourist from the Czech Republic, who stated that the heat mixed with the power cuts was making staying in the south unbearable. She stated that while the first power cut didn’t cause much concern, the recurring ones negatively impacted her vacation. She also pointed out that the shortage of LPG in the country meant they could not cook their food, leading them to spend on expensive restaurants. “There is no power or gas in the south, so it is very difficult to be a backpacker here. I have met other travellers like myself who are going to Kandy because it is cooler and a little more bearable there than it is here, so I will also go there in the coming days,” she added. Industry leaders The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President M . Shanthikumar stated that hotels islandwide were being impacted by the current situation. As such, he stated that the organisation had already reached out to the highest levels of authority in the country for a solution, which was yet to come. He stated that countries including the UK, USA, and Canada had already issued travel advisories with regard to Sri Lanka, advising their citizens not to travel to the country due to these shortages.  “While we are trying to promote tourism and bring in more tourists to the country to help the economy and ease the foreign exchange crisis, these shortages and power cuts are painting a very negative picture. The UK, USA and Canada have already issued travel advisories telling tourists not to travel to Sri Lanka due to these shortages and they have gone to the extent of saying there is no food to eat, which is not accurate. As an association we are trying to get all concerned to resolve this and give priority to the industry,” said Shanthikumar. Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) Chairman Thilak Weerasinghe also stated that the tourism industry needed to be given priority when it came to LPG, fuel, and power in the current situation. He stated that some priority had already been given when it came to fuel, with tour vehicles being given a sticker to get fuel faster. Government response According to Tourism Ministry Secretary S. Hettiarachchi, the Government has already made plans to mitigate the impact on the industry from these shortages. He stated that on 16 March, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga had met with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to discuss these matters.  He stated that the President had instructed Ranatunga to discuss these issues with senior officials and hand over the tasks of providing relief to local politicians in these tourism areas. He explained that relief with regard to diesel, LPG, and petrol had been planned for stakeholders in these tourism areas. “The Minister has requested the officials in these areas to give special attention to eateries and hotels. When gas is available, the stakeholders in these areas will be given special priority. When it comes to diesel for their generators, these stakeholders will be permitted to fill cans, which is currently not allowed for the general public, once they show their registration certificate from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA). As for fuel, we have already arranged for tourism-related vehicles to get their fuel from CTB depots,” said Hettiarachchi.  He added that the President was paying close attention to this matter and claimed that the Government would mitigate the situation within the next couple of days.  


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