Once visitors flocked, now a ghost town
Sigiriya has always been one of the major tourist attractions in the country; after the pandemic struck the place has been more like a graveyard rather than a tourist destination.
As the country slowly comes to terms with the pandemic, several industries are slowly recovering. However, it will be a long uphill struggle for the tourist sector to fully recover from the crisis in the face of current travel restrictions.
A majority of people residing around Sigiriya make a living out of this site. Those who conduct canoe safaris, cart safaris, elephant safaris, do carvings, and even the king coconut seller and the tour guide are in dire straits.
They moan that with the current situation, the outlook for the tourism sector remains highly uncertain as the coronavirus continues to hit hard.
Every aspect of the sector remains vulnerable. On average, nearly 2,000 local tourists visit Sigiriya every day. That number has now dwindled to zero.
Those who were engaged in bullock cart safaris have had to sell the oxen tied to their carts to the butcher. Some people are taking care of the animals despite the many obstacles. Those who own elephants lament that they have to spend more than Rs 80,000 a month to look after the elephants.
Even with massive discounts offered, hotels are still suffering from low occupancy. Threewheeler drivers eagerly wait for a foreigner to be taken for a ride.
The affected are asking that the government take initiatives to revive tourism or offer them financial relief packages.