Kandy unrest results in 10% dip in tourist arrivals
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Sri Lanka experienced as much as a 10 percent dip in tourist arrivals during the unrest, which occurred in Kandy, although the government is expecting the numbers to rebound and reach the expected targets this year.
“There were around 8-10 percent cancellations of bookings in the airline industry,” Emirates Sri Lanka and the Maldives Country Manager Chandana de Silva said.
Aitken Spence Group Chairman Harry Jayawardena added that with effective communication and management, his chain of hotels managed to keep cancellations down to just 3 percent. The communal unrest earlier this month left three dead, along with dozens of destroyed homes and businesses in its wake but did not involve any tourists.
A social media ban was in effect for nearly two weeks, while a state of emergency was imposed for a slightly longer period of time by the government.
“This was an isolated incident. No tourists have been injured. No hotels were attacked. We have written to all the embassies requesting them to communicate this among their countries that Sri Lanka is one of the safest places on earth,” Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs Minister John Amaratunga said on Monday.
He requested the countries which issued travel advisories on Sri Lanka to withdraw them, as the situation has returned to normalcy.
“Unfortunately, this incident was bloated up and reported all over the world,” he said.