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| Sunday, 12 October 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Tourism industry gears for influx of arrivals by Pelham Juriansz
With the peace process now going into its 21st month, the Government is targeting two million tourist arrivals to the country in the next few years. Last year, tourist arrivals rose by 16 per cent to 330,000. This year it is expected to top 500,000. A redeeming feature so far this year has been Western Europe, Sri Lanka's biggest traditional market, heralding the arrivals with the UK topping the list; this too, well before the England cricket tour of Sri Lanka and the arrival of the 'Barmy Army'. The burning question is 'How will the Sri Lanka Tourist Board and the hotels cope with the sudden influx of tourists? Sunday Observer spoke to Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) Chairman Paddy Withana and some leading hoteliers about their plans to cope with the situation.
According to Paddy Withana, the cumulative tourist arrivals for the first eight months of the year recorded 301,998, an increase of 23.6 per cent over the same period last year. In an off-season in August this year, 42,111 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka, an increase of 19 per cent compared to the corresponding month in 2002. This is an all time high since 1967. "With rural communities being made a part of the hospitality industry, we will integrate into our strategy the wisdom of centuries and a lifestyle that is now looked upon as sustainable and green. "As a pilot project, we are facilitating a community-based development in the Unawatuna and Rumassala community with the resources of Sewalanka, a local NGO. The project is led by the community of Unawatuna and Rumassala," said the Chairman. "Our vision is to make Sri Lanka the most sought after destination in the Indian Ocean, offering the highest values of authentic experiences in its unique setting. "The greatest treasures that we have are the human and natural resources, cultural values and ethos, and these will be fundamental in transforming Sri Lanka into a centre of excellence for tourism," he added. India biggest market With this vision, more tourists are bound to flood the country. In 2002, India was the biggest tourist market for Sri Lanka.
Roshan Perera, General Manager of the Tea Factory hotel in Kandapola, Nuwara Eliya said the biggest problem they are facing is the dearth of chefs as there are no qualified chefs in the region. Most chefs have gone abroad as they are looking for greener pastures and fatter pay cheques. "We are trying to train local people from the area as chefs as those have gone to the Middle East. As we have many different types of cuisine, we are looking for competent chefs, who are well versed in the art of cooking Western, Indian, Chinese and a fusion of other foods. "Most of our tourists are from the SAARC region, which is good for us. Indians are flooding the market and it is good to see a number of Pakistanis as well. We are also catering to the upmarket Middle Eastern traveller. With the English Cricket Tour of Sri Lanka on the cards, we are expecting a number of English cricket fans who would make use of a few off-days from cricket to come up to the cool climes of Nuwara Eliya and see for themselves the tea estates that the English themselves had set up. A tour group called the 'Cooney' comes to Sri Lanka. "At the moment there are 57 rooms and unfortunately we do not have the facilities to expand," said General Manager Perera. There are four deluxe rooms and 53 standard rooms. We have an unique 'Dining Experience' (a railway carriage), set 6,800 feet above sea level. This hotel is being run by the Aitken Spence Group and it is our seventh year in existence.
"The occupancy rate at the hotel is about 65 per cent all year round and we have had a seven to eight per cent growth rate this year. We are expecting more tourists this month as we had a 70 per cent occupancy rate last month. We are hoping to get more British and German tourists. The accessibility to the hotel is good as we are 14 kms from Nuwara Eliya with the Nanu Oya Railway Station close by," concluded Perera. Bazeer Uvais, Contracts Manager Sales and Marketing, Tangerine Group of Hotels said: "Sri Lanka can be compared with any of the best destinations in the world, but to increase the number of tourist arrivals, we have to improve the infrastructure and the standards, be it at cultural sites, attractions, restaurants or toilets. "The Government has promised to waive off taxes on all goods imported by hotels to upgrade the properties. This, if implemented quickly, will boost the industry. Hotel classification system "The facilities at the airport too have to be upgraded, but it does not have to involve money as little things will make a big difference. For example, adding another counter at the arrival lounge to quicken the procedure is a start." "The information systems and the hotel classification system, which is ancient, need to be upgraded," he added. Bodhi Ranasinghe Chairman Hotels Corporation said: "The tourism industry is growing worldwide and the peace process is one of the main reasons for the increase in tourist arrivals to our country. "To cater to the increasing demand, we have to upgrade our facilities. Some of the facilities considered as luxuries in the past are today considered basic requirements. To cater to the growing demand, we are upgrading six properties out of the 22 owned by us at a cost of Rs 40 million this year. The properties that are being upgraded include Polonnaruwa, Belihuloya, Ella, Tissa, Kitulgala and Ambepussa. Depending on the season, we will upgrade the other properties as well next year, but we will not forget the locals who patronise our rest houses," said Ranasinghe. A leading tour operator said Sri Lanka's transportation system is really bad and our roads are in terrible condition. As a result of this, tourists are complaining all the time about the state of the transport system and the manner in which our drivers and riders conduct themselves on the road. Sea planes and helicopters
Sampath Siriwardene's Resident Manager, Galadari Hotel, plans for the hotel are to expand the ballroom which is rather small at the moment. We are having 300 rooms (which are functional) at the moment," said Siriwardene. He further added that they are refurbishing the hotel as after the bomb blast in 1997, four floors were damaged and the fifth floor is expected to be refurbished by November 15. "Early next year, in January or February, we should complete the the sixth, seventh and 14th floors. The occupancy rate, around 90 per cent at the moment, should increase to around full occupancy by about November with the steady influx of Tourists. Business in the past few years has not been great, but now the city hotels are getting full," he added. |
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| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
Tourism is the largest and fastest growing industry in the world,
growing by 3.1 per cent in 2002 to exceed the 700 million mark for the
first time ever, despite the terrorist attacks on the USA, and the Iraq
war looming on the horizon. Sri Lanka is just changing its stance from
selling to the budget leisure tourist to the niche traveller.
"We are trying to solve the problem of chefs by training them at a
recognised hotel school, but most of them do not have the necessary
finances as they are children of Kankanis. We hope to give them
scholarships to undergo training at a hotel school.
"There are talks and discussions about having sea planes and
helicopters, but nothing is happening and all are pipe dreams. Tourists
are worried about their own safety when they get onto the road and wonder
whether they will ever get to their destination in one piece. Most drivers
drive at a hectic pace and even if they use self-drive cars and travel at
a safe speed, they cannot be sure of the other oncoming vehicles,"
complained this disgusted tour operator.
