Tourism industry facing multiple issues

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is facing multiple issues with the latest being a Presidential order to ban state functions in tourist hotels.

The new rule by President Sirisena banning state organisations from holding events in hotels, to cut costs, is hurting the MICE industry, according to Ziyan Ameen, President of the Sri Lanka Association of Professional Conference, Exhibition & Event Organisers.

“This is in addition to multiple issues that we are facing. In the MICE market, while bookings have not been cancelled, some however have been postponed and there are no new bookings and inquiries,” he said. MICE refers to Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events.

The December 6 directive came on the back of a likely boycott of the state tourism awards show by industry officials in which the President was to attend as the chief guest. Fearing a boycott by key personalities as a mark of protest over his recent executive actions, President Sirisena skipped the event and instead directed his chief of staff to attend. There was no boycott after industry associations urged members to attend.

Another official said that MICE business makes up about 25-30 per cent of the hotel business.

“We organize many programmes in hotels involving government bodies and this ban would affect hotels,” he said.

The constitutional cum political crisis has also led to delays in the launch of the new “SO Sri Lanka” destination marketing campaign.