• Urgent meeting called with defence, tourism authorities
• International awareness to be built as Sri Lanka a safe country for travel
• President said earlier that country will see the largest arrivals next year

By Kelum Bandara

In the wake of the United States (U.S.) Embassy’s travel restriction to Arugam Bay effective immediately and until further notice, the Sri Lankan authorities have sprung into action on multiple fronts to take additional security measures and to ensure that the country is safe for tourist arrivals.  

The government appears to have taken the latest travel restriction, subsequently followed by a few other countries, seriously since it has banked heavily on tourism as a main foreign exchange earner to develop the country which is now trying to get out of the economic crisis.   

The prompt actions aim to mitigate any adverse impact and restore confidence among tourists.  

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in one of his recent election rallies in the Katunayake area, even set an ambitious target for tourism. He said Sri Lanka would see the highest surge in tourist arrivals next year.  

The U.S. embassy, in its alert said, it received credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations in the Arugam Bay area. Due to the serious risk posed by this threat, the Embassy imposed a travel restriction on Embassy personnel for Arugam Bay effective immediately and until further notice.  

After that, a key government meeting was conducted with the involvement of the security apparatus and the tourism authorities and other stakeholders. A top official of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) told Daily Mirror that the defence establishment including the police ensured that safety of all tourists had been guaranteed and additional measures would be taken to allay any concern.  

Besides, he said the Sri Lankan authorities, through their missions abroad, would take steps to educate the whole world that Sri Lanka is safe from any threat in the upcoming season. He said the current alert would have a minimal short term impact but not a serious issue in the long run.   

Sri Lanka earned over US $ 2 billion from tourism in the first eight months of 2024, according to the data from the Central Bank. The tourism authorities are expecting three million foreign tourists in 2025,