Tourists at Mattala International Airport 2020
All holidays booked to Sri Lanka up to and including June 12 2022 with the travel provider Tui have been cancelled, as the country's tourism industry suffered another blow last week.
The decision was reportedly made based on travel advice issued by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which has warned against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka due to the ongoing political and economic unrest on the island.
"We will continue to monitor the situation and update customers should there be any further updates., said the leisure, travel and tourism company. Tui went on to clarify that these cancellations will not apply to customers who are transiting via Sri Lanka or those who are currently holidaying in the island nation.
Sri Lanka relies heavily on its tourism industry. In 2018 alone, Tourism generated US$4.4 billion, contributing 5.6% to the country’s GDP. However, due to travel restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, this value dropped to approximately 0.8% by 2020. As global travel restrictions were eased,there were aproximately 100,000 arrivals to the island in March 2022. According to Sri Lanka’s tourism office, this was the highest rate of arrivals in two years, in an industry that has been badly suffering.
The travel advice against all but essential travel has been issued in response to the situation unfolding on the island. As a result of the ongoing instability on the island, Sri Lankans are experiencing shortages of food, medicines, and fuel. Further, there have been blackouts, curfews and protests across the island.
Businesses that rely on tourism are already being impacted as a result of the economic crisis, as they struggle to acquire the resources they need to keep running.