Voice of the nation - Sri Lanka Tourism _ Decisions and Challenges!!

There have been multiple ideas in terms of re-opening the country for tourists and I would like to address some of these misconceptions through this article. 

The recent article on Daily Mirror stated as;

<< Sri Lanka Tourism has consider opening up the country for foreign travellers under two options which include tourists undergoing a mandatory 14-day quarantine period after arriving here or travelling under a strict travel bubble, one option which is under consideration is opening the country for travellers from all countries, but they will have to undergo a minimum 14-day quarantine period after arriving here. Another option under discussion is initially opening the country under a strict travel bubble, which will be open only for German tourists as tourists from this destination prefer only to travel to the beach areas.>> for more details pls refer Tourism sector proposes to open country for global travellers under options., Available at http://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking_news/Tourism-sector-proposes-to-open-country-for-global-travellers-under-options/108-200040 (Accessed 23 Nov 2020)

 

Ok, let's see the SLTDA Stats 2018 (in a good year), what it says.
(Note: my questions and concerns are highlighted in gray against each point).

As per SLTDA stats (2018),

Contribution to the Economy

Tourism was the third-largest foreign exchange earner for the country in 2018, preceded by worker's remittance and textiles and garments, significantly contributing to the Sri Lankan economy. Foreign exchange earnings from the tourism sector increased to 15.9% in 2018. - (the impact of closing down the borders for travellers for almost 9 months is significant)

Source Markets

The top 5 source markets were from India, China, UK, Germany, and Australia.

Purpose of visit

The highest proportion of MICE tourists came from South Asia (41.4%) while, 51.9% of tourists from Western Europe have visited for health purposes this includes wellness, Ayurveda, beach, round tour etc. (Handling German Tourists for the past 10 years, I'm afraid I have to disagree with the statement that German tourists mainly visit Sri Lanka for the beach) 

 

Duration of stay

It was recorded that the average duration of stay for tourists in Sri Lanka during the year was recorded as 10.8 nights in 2018. The highest (34.3%) percentage of tourists had stayed 4 to 7 nights. 31.4% of tourists stayed for 8-14 days while 16% of tourists stayed for 1-3 days. An analysis of the average duration of stay by region of origin reveals that the highest average duration of stay (14.1 nights) has been recorded from Oceania. (so Australia is being closed, whom we are targeting to come and stay for 14 days?) Tourists from Northern Europe and Western Europe recorded an average duration of stay of 13.9 and 13.7 nights, respectively (the buying power has decreased, and European may consider short-haul destinations now). The lowest average duration of stay of 7.2 nights has been recorded from tourists from the North East Asian region. (So Asians may not travel to Sri Lanka considering the 14 days quarantine procedures)

Age group

Incoming visitors are in the age brackets 30-39 and 20-29 where 40.6% of the tourists were in these two age brackets. Of the total tourists, 11.5% were below 20 years in age, 18.3% were in the age group 20-29 years, 22.3% between 30 -39 years, 17.4% between 40 -49 years, 15.6% between 50 -59 years and the remaining 14.9% were 60 years and above. (Travelling to long haul destinations; especially it is a concern among elderly and family travellers (As per the stats, 70% of the tourists falls under the above category, balance will not travel unless if their employers / educational institute grant leave for more than 14 days?)

Occupation

As per the stats, 7.9% of the tourists who visited Sri Lanka in 2018 belonged to the 'No Occupation' category. This group, together with the retired persons (13.7%) represented the tourists who were "Economically inactive", at (21.6%). The balance 78.4% of the tourists considered as 'economically active' persons., as active contributors to the labour force in their country. – (This should raise a question on, will their employers grant them leave for more than 14 days? also it depends on the travel restrictions and quarantine procedure of the country they reside)

So my question is whom we are trying to target by implementing mandatory 14 days quarantine period?

So let's see, what are the common pain points of travellers?

• Travelling to long haul destinations; especially it is a concern among elderly and family travellers.
• Social stigma and the fear of the PCR test.
• Quarantine procedures and travel restrictions from the country they reside as well as in Sri Lanka.
• Alarming health care facilities in the country they intend to travel. In case if they develop any symptoms while on tour will they be treated at a decent hospital.
• Will our guests be granted additional leave from their employers in the event if they had to go under quarantine procedures? -
• Added expenses for providing safety gears, PCR tests, quarantine facilities and airfare.
• Peace of Mind: Questions among the tourists, is it necessary to go on a holiday with all these restrictions and protection gears? 

Can this be addressed?......