Perfect way to open SL yet to be found, but open we must, says hard-hit tourism sector

Sri Lanka Tourism Advisory Council Chairman Hiran Cooray addresses the media in Colombo while Sri Lanka Inbound Tour Operators President Thilak Weerasinghe (extreme left) and The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka President Sanath Ukwatte (far right) look on 
Pic by Kithsiri de Mel

By Shabiya Ali Ahlam
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry yesterday stressed the need to welcome international travellers without further delay to uplift the economy and service providers, who have firsthand witnessed the harsh reality of the pandemic, while strictly adhering to the health guidelines.

The private sector stakeholders of the tourism industry yesterday came on to one platform to justify the need to open up the country and stressed that efforts are being taken to ensure the “opening process” is carried out in a manner that ensures locals are least impacted.

“It has not been an easy time for anyone of us. We have had to work hard to get the authorities to get Sri Lanka to officially open,” expressed Sri Lanka Tourism Advisory Council Chairman Hiran Cooray.

He shared that while a set of strict guidelines were conceptualised in consultation with the health officials, the protocols were framed in a manner that would minimise the inconvenience to tourists.

“We realised that if there were too much of restrictions, nobody would want to come here. So, it has to be a fine balance between managing the virus and also managing the people who are coming here,” said Cooray, adding that a perfect mix is yet to be found.

“We still haven’t found a perfect way forward and you may not find the perfect way forward because as I said each country develops its own policy and that’s where we are,” he added.

To move forward in a safe and secure path, the private sector stakeholders of the industry have put forward a series of proposals to be incorporated into the fresh guidelines to be approved by the Tourism Ministry.

The new set of guidelines is based on the ‘travel bubble’ concept, which is to create a cluster of hotel rooms in identified locations with hotels being adjacent to each other.

Sharing insights on the proposal shared with the ministry for incorporation, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) President Thilak Weerasinghe said initially, the relevant authorities must identify the countries and form travel corridors, from where tourists should be permitted to arrive in the country so that the risks are minimised.

One other proposal was to accommodate incoming tourists in only tier one hotels (certified safe and secure by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority) for a minimum of seven days before being allowed to shift to a tier two hotel, if the second PCR turns negative.

Among the list of proposals was also a suggestion to convert one of the hotels in the cluster to a hospital to accommodate any guest who requires urgent medical attention.

However, although tourists are allowed a relaxed quarantine period of seven days, it is mandatory for hotel staff to quarantine for 14 days before leaving the premises. 

According to the sector representatives, a similar set of guidelines is currently being followed for the ongoing tourism revival pilot project with Ukrainian tourists.

Calling it a learning process, Weerasinghe said that the pilot project has helped identify shortcomings in the process thus paving the way to tweak accordingly before Sri Lanka opens doors to tourists from all over the world.

The pilot project has come under harsh criticism from the point the first passenger exited the aircraft for not wearing the safety masks properly and Weerasinghe admitted that certain mannerisms of the tourists are of concern.

According to him, the industry is better equipped and informed on the situations and they are likely to deal with the issues with when the country opens up end of this month.

Reflecting similar sentiments was The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President Sanath Ukwatte, who stated that the guidelines would be updated in due course.

He noted that although the protocols could vary, the stakeholders are strictly following the imposed guidelines.