Current situation, an opportunity to improve tourism products - SLTB Chairman

Hiran H. Senewiratne

OPPORTUNITY: The current security situation in the country is in some ways an opportunity to improve the products and infrastructure in relation to the tourism sector, the Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) Chairman Renton de Alwis said.

He said that there are some areas of business that could be opened up for the local market, as our business community is quite capable of coming out with innovative products to attract tourism during this period. In the aftermath of the latest terror attack by the LTTE on two main fuel storage facilities in Muthurajawela and Kolonnawa, the tourism industry was looking at managing the situation in the best possible way but this time it is worse than before.

Therefore Sri Lankan holidaymakers could do something better to minimize the damage, de Alwis said. He said, the hotels which were badly hit following the escalation of violence in the North and East were facing further setbacks now. "At present they have a definite solution and we have to be credible and tell the truth to ensure the safety and security of tourists who arrive in Sri Lanka," he said.

Sri Lankan defence authorities are working hard to arrest the situation in the event of any attacks in the future.

Until defence forces ensure that they have a solution to avert any attacks before the LTTE reach their targets, we could only promote our business operations in a proper way, he said. SLTB Chairman said that they are constantly in touch with defence authorities until they get the message across.

As a stop gap measure, tourism authorities are working closely with hotels and other stakeholders to manage the situation and are also doing a lot of PR work to position the country in a positive manner by articulating good things about Sri Lanka.