The fatal bombings that hit Sri Lanka during Easter have caused visitors to stay away from the country.
Early this year, the Lonely Planet travel guide named Sri Lanka as its top nation for travelers. The island nation is known for its beautiful beaches, ancient ruins, wildlife and parks.
However, On April 21, over 250 people were killed in a series of bomb attacks at hotels and churches. About 45 foreigners which including visitors from China, India, the United States and Britain were killed during the attacks. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the blasts.
Since April, foreign tourism has dropped sharply.
Travel officials stated that many tourists who planned to visit the country over the next few months canceled their plans. Visitor arrivals to Sri Lanka have dropped about 80 per cent since the April bombings.
The tourism industry contributes about 4.9 percent of Sri Lanka’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Last year, over 2 million tourists visited the island, bringing in about $4.4 billion.
According to Industry experts, hotel occupancy rates across the island has fallen by about 85 percent.
For the most part, beaches, eateries and stores in popular tourist areas are now empty.
Hikkaduwa is one of the most popular beaches in the southwest coast of the island nation. The area loved by tourists because of its good surfing conditions and clear waters for snorkeling. The Associated Press reported that on a recent day, only a few of the areas 27 hotels were even open. Most eateries that sit along the six-kilometer beach were closed.
The Hikkaduwa Beach Hotel was one of the few places still open. On the day of the bombings, all 50 of its rooms were full. Now, few people are staying there.
“It’s a real disaster. We don’t know what to do right now,” said Sanjeewani Yogarajah, who works at the hotel. She said the attack has so far cost the business about $31,000. The low earnings has forced the hotel to send half of its workers home.
Lankesha Ponnamperuma, who runs the hotel company Hikka Tranz, is one of the luckier business owners. He says that athough foreign visitors are mainly staying away, his business still survives because many local people are using the hotels. He said that Most days, up to two-thirds of the companys hotels are filled
The president of Sri Lankas Hotels Association, Sanath Ukwatta, said hotels have been advertising rates 30 to 50 percent lower in a bid to get Sri Lankans to come. He admits such offers will not fully solve the economic problems, however they can still “help at least to keep the hotels going.”
Hotel worker Sanjeewani Yogarajah says one of the biggest concerns for industry officials is a travel ban issued for Sri Lanka by several countries after the attacks.
“The ban is our main worry. Until it is removed or softened, we can’t start our marketing to attract tourists,” he said. “If it is lifted soon, we are hopeful we can bounce back this year, or otherwise definitely next year.”