Sri Lanka urges Tourists to return

In the aftermath of the tsunami which brought with it unprecedented hardship to millions living in South East Asia, Sri Lanka has responded swiftly to bounce back onto its feet and move forward.

On the coastline, about fifty hotels in affected areas are temporarily closed for reconstruction and repair. However, many hotels have already recommenced operations and others are confident of opening by March this year.

The President of Sri Lanka - Her Excellency Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga - has appointed three working bodies, made up of state and private sector professionals, to oversee all aspects of restoration in the affected areas. 

The three bodies are responsible for the following areas: acceleration of rescue and relief work; the rebuilding of the nation and the maintenance of law and order and logistics.

The tsunami damages were largely contained in the northern and eastern coastal areas of Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Galle. The inland tourists’ attractions such as Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, most Natural Parks, the Cultural Triangle and the Ancient Cities were totally unaffected and remain fully operational for tourists’ visits after the tsunami.

In an earlier message addressed to all tourism industry players and tourists, Anura Bandaranaike, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Tourism, said, “Beaches are only one aspect of our diversity of tourism products and a higher percentage of tourists were in any event holidaying in other parts of the island such as the Cultural Triangle and the Mountains at the time of the tidal waves.”

Indeed, Sri Lanka is an exotic country that boasts the privilege of having sunshine, paradise-like beaches and scenic, culture-rich heritage sites. All its six inland-situated UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla, Kandy, Anuradhapura, and Sinharaja Forest Reserve were unaffected by the tsunami. The seventh UNESCO World Heritage Site – the Dutch Fort which is situated at the tsunami-affected Galle area, remained undamaged.

Sri Lanka’s International Airport, the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, is unaffected by the tsunami attacks and is fully operational. All inbound, outbound and transit traffic are operating as per normal.

SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier for Sri Lanka, has also been operating flights without any interruption with the exception of cancellation of flights to Male, the capital of the Maldive Islands, on 26 December due to the closure of the Maldives’ airport.

SriLankan Airlines has also reacted quickly and came up with promotions to Sri Lanka’s cultural hotspots, in a bid to woo back tourists and to reiterate that Sri Lanka tourism has more to offer than just beaches.

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