SLAITO thanks govt. for moratorium extension

The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) has thanked the government and Central Bank for taking the initiative to grant a further three-month moratorium on COVID-19 working capital loans taken by the industry.

“This lifeline given by the government will help the tourism industry to survive during these extremely challenging times. We wish to make a request to the government to look at the possibility of opening the boarders for tourism in a controlled manner conforming to health guidelines stipulated by the COVID-19 Task Force and the Ministry of Health. 

“This will no doubt help the large number of stakeholders involved in the tourism industry and it will generate valuable foreign exchange to the economy,” a SLAITO 
statement said.

The Central Bank last Friday said the six-month grace period extended for 4 percent working capital loan scheme would be extended to nine months given that most borrowers have experienced difficulties in revamping their businesses as expected due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.