Following the UK’s decision to remove Sri Lanka from its Red List (a list of countries identified to be at a higher risk of Covid-19 spread) and to instead place Sri Lanka under its Amber List with effect from tomorrow (22), the Sri Lankan authorities remain hopeful that more countries would open their doors to Sri Lanka, creating more opportunities for the country’s tourism industry.
Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga recently revealed that diplomatic-level discussions in this connection have already commenced, and that more discussions with officials of other countries are expected.
At the same time, local authorities have further expressed the need to take steps to increase tourist arrivals to the country, and this is being discussed officially between the Tourism Ministry and the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).
Given the contribution of the tourism industry to Sri Lanka’s economy and the present state of the industry, reopening the country to more tourists is a necessity, especially at a time the country is struggling to survive a worsening economic crisis, exacerbated by a national health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The industry, which earned over $ 4 billion revenue in 2018, saw this figure decline to less than $ 1 billion by last year, and in addition to the national income, the home economies of approximately three million people, directly and indirectly employed in this industry, have also been left helpless. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with considering the revival of the industry a priority, especially due to it being one of the industries that can greatly help Sri Lanka’s waning foreign reserves; another pressing issue at the moment.
However, reviving the industry is a delicate mission, because the Covid-19 pandemic is a global issue, and therefore, increasing the number of people coming into the country, even if they were Sri Lankans, can potentially affect the prevailing health situation, especially at a time when the country has started showing some progress on that front.
It is not prudent to consider the decision to reopen the country to more tourists as one that depends solely on the number of Covid-19 cases and related deaths; there is a bigger risk – the other highly contagious variants of Covid-19 that Sri Lanka is yet to be exposed to. There are a number of countries, especially in the European, African, and South American regions, that have reported a high prevalence of such variants, and therefore, due to this risk, when the country was reopened to tourists following the outbreak of the pandemic, allegations were levelled against the Government that it was due to their hasty decisions to allow tourists to enter the country that some variants of Covid-19 spread in the country.
It is true that local tourism authorities have paid attention to taking a number of measures such as allowing only fully vaccinated tourists, conducting PCR tests and making negative PCR test results mandatory, and introducing concepts such as the “biological bubble” concept to ensure safety, and we cannot say that a tourist’s mere arrival could pose a threat to Sri Lankans.
However, the present state of the pandemic is such that no country can be too careful.
The bottom line is, Sri Lanka should neither be too pessimistic, nor too optimistic, when it comes to attracting more tourists. Seeing the opportunities and risks for what they are and being prepared to face the real situation is what is necessary. The only concern that should not be ignored is that despite the pressing need to attract more tourists, the authorities will have to pay equal attention to both the economic aspects of the industry as well as the health concerns that increased tourist arrivals would entail.Tourism’s revival vs. pandemic’s arrival
20 Sep 2021
Tourism’s revival vs. pandemic’s arrival
20 Sep 2021
Following the UK’s decision to remove Sri Lanka from its Red List (a list of countries identified to be at a higher risk of Covid-19 spread) and to instead place Sri Lanka under its Amber List with effect from tomorrow (22), the Sri Lankan authorities remain hopeful that more countries would open their doors to Sri Lanka, creating more opportunities for the country’s tourism industry.
Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga recently revealed that diplomatic-level discussions in this connection have already commenced, and that more discussions with officials of other countries are expected.
At the same time, local authorities have further expressed the need to take steps to increase tourist arrivals to the country, and this is being discussed officially between the Tourism Ministry and the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).
Given the contribution of the tourism industry to Sri Lanka’s economy and the present state of the industry, reopening the country to more tourists is a necessity, especially at a time the country is struggling to survive a worsening economic crisis, exacerbated by a national health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The industry, which earned over $ 4 billion revenue in 2018, saw this figure decline to less than $ 1 billion by last year, and in addition to the national income, the home economies of approximately three million people, directly and indirectly employed in this industry, have also been left helpless. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with considering the revival of the industry a priority, especially due to it being one of the industries that can greatly help Sri Lanka’s waning foreign reserves; another pressing issue at the moment.
However, reviving the industry is a delicate mission, because the Covid-19 pandemic is a global issue, and therefore, increasing the number of people coming into the country, even if they were Sri Lankans, can potentially affect the prevailing health situation, especially at a time when the country has started showing some progress on that front.
It is not prudent to consider the decision to reopen the country to more tourists as one that depends solely on the number of Covid-19 cases and related deaths; there is a bigger risk – the other highly contagious variants of Covid-19 that Sri Lanka is yet to be exposed to. There are a number of countries, especially in the European, African, and South American regions, that have reported a high prevalence of such variants, and therefore, due to this risk, when the country was reopened to tourists following the outbreak of the pandemic, allegations were levelled against the Government that it was due to their hasty decisions to allow tourists to enter the country that some variants of Covid-19 spread in the country.
It is true that local tourism authorities have paid attention to taking a number of measures such as allowing only fully vaccinated tourists, conducting PCR tests and making negative PCR test results mandatory, and introducing concepts such as the “biological bubble” concept to ensure safety, and we cannot say that a tourist’s mere arrival could pose a threat to Sri Lankans.
However, the present state of the pandemic is such that no country can be too careful.
The bottom line is, Sri Lanka should neither be too pessimistic, nor too optimistic, when it comes to attracting more tourists. Seeing the opportunities and risks for what they are and being prepared to face the real situation is what is necessary. The only concern that should not be ignored is that despite the pressing need to attract more tourists, the authorities will have to pay equal attention to both the economic aspects of the industry as well as the health concerns that increased tourist arrivals would entail.Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!