Beam of light across tourism

Anjana SAMARASINGHE

Overcoming declining tourist arrivals during the past, hoteliers are now experiencing a growth in tourist arrivals.

Financial Controller and the Director of Amaya Resorts and Spas Sri Lanka, Nimal Perera told Daily News Business we have 100 percent occupancy in all our three resorts in Dambulla, Kandy and Hikkaduwa.

“We have noticed that the tourists arrivals are improving and most of the tourists have a positive impression on Sri Lanka. Most of these tourists are from US, UK and Spain, Perera said.

Perera also expects that this trend will continue in coming months as well.

Jt. Managing Director of the McLarens Hotels Anura Basnayake said that tourist arrivals are improving since the Perahara season is on. During the last five months tourist arrivals declined but now it is increasing. At the moment our occupancy strength is at 65 per cent but it will increase to 75 per cent.

We are hopeful that the industry will bounce back to normal. Arrivals of the British tourists are encouraging and arrivals of German tourists have improved. But the French market need to be improved more and this segment will improve after September, he said.

Speaking to ‘Daily News Business’, CEO of the Ceylon Hotels Corporation Anura Lokuhetty said that, all the hotels in Colombo as well as outskirts now experiencing high occupancy strength, he said.

Explaining the reasons for the increase Lokuhetty said that Perehara festival and some conferences in the country have attracted more tourists. He also said that he is optimistic that this improvement will continue.

According to the Sri Lanka Tourist Board during the first seven months of this year arrivals dropped by 23.7 per cent compared with the same period of last year.

However arrivals from Middle East and Eastern Europe showed a significant growth during this period. In first six months, UK arrivals dropped by 11.2 per cent and German arrivals declined by 37.2 per cent compared with the same period of the last year.