Limited capacity operation for tourism makes little sense, says THASL

• Wants govt. to consider further lifting travel and operating restrictions
• Puts forward 13-point list of recommendations for consideration

Sri Lanka’s largest tourism trading association yesterday warned the government that the continuation of maintaining tight regulations is detrimental to the hard-hit industry and said that the limited easing makes little to no sense. 

The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) asserted that allowing only 25 percent capacity operation of a food and beverage facility and the total ban on weddings “does not make sense” when the country’s vaccination rollout has taken an overdrive.

“It’s time to consider gradual easing of restrictions and returning to normal life whilst adhering to strict safety guidelines,” THASL said while highlighting that the government’s commitment to vaccinate 60 percent of the population by September 2021 gives the industry hope for revival.

While welcoming the decision made by the government over the weekend to allow segments of the industry to operate with limited capacity,

 THASL called on the government to consider further lifting the imposed travel and operating restrictions.
“We understand that rules are there to control the spread of the virus and we will continue to support these guidelines, which are vital for the safety of the community. But how much longer can the industry handle these pressures?” questioned the association in a statement to the media last evening. The association pointed out that in the absence of foreign visitors, due to the travel restrictions imposed by main business generating markets, hotels have survived on the local business to support the livelihoods of their stakeholders. 

Acknowledging that the final decision to relax the guidelines lies with the health authorities, the association said it is following the protocols imposed but stressed that the tourism and hospitality sector in particular had borne a “disproportionate burden” throughout the pandemic.

Meanwhile, to help the industry embark on a speedy recovery path, THASL put forward a lengthy list of recommendations for consideration.

The 13-point list called on the government to: (1) fully vaccinate all staff attached to tourist establishments immediately; (2) permit with immediate effect vaccinated local tourists to travel within the country; (3) permit fully vaccinated overseas visitors to enter the country for travel without any restrictions and with only one PCR on arrival and one on departure (if required); (4) permit all other visitors to travel within the travel bubble concept following present guidelines; (5) permit the mix of accommodating locals and foreigners with both vaccination/negative PCR in hotels; (6) open of all key tourism sites and safari parks with no restrictions for fully vaccinated foreign visitors and local tourists; (7) permit free movement between provinces by opening provincial borders; (8) relax PCR testing and other restrictions of level 1 hotels while allowing free movement of staff and guests and no quarantine for staff who are fully vaccinated; (9) ensure all hotels accommodating guests are Health and Safety certified with mystery audits conducted by the SLTDA to ensure compliance; (10) permit all the SLTDA-registered hotels to operate restaurants and bars by adhering to all health and safety guidelines; (11) relax restrictions on weddings and meetings in hotels where all attendees to have a negative PCR or be fully vaccinated; (12) consider introducing a national COVID-19 pass for fully vaccinated citizens and allow any double vaccinated passenger, (13) irrespective of nationality, fly over and above current limit of 75 passengers of Sri Lankan nationality per aircraft.