35,000 hotel rooms to meet 2.5m visitors target

by Lalin FERNANDOPULLE

Around 1,500 hotel rooms will be refurbished this year to meet the influx of tourists which is on an upward trend following the peace dividends, said Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa. He said though refurbishment will increase pressure for capacity it will help enhance the quality of hotel service to be on par with international standards.

Currently the country has around 14,000 hotel rooms and steps have been taken to increase the number of rooms to around 35,000 to meet the target of attracting 2.5 million visitors by 2016. Tourist arrivals last year were 654,476 the highest since 2004 which recorded 480,000 tourists to the country. Arrivals this year is expected to be around 700,000.

The highest number of visitors was recorded last year in November with 72,251, a 63.1 percent growth compared to the same month in the previous year which recorded 44,311 visitors.

Arrivals last year recorded a 45 percent growth on month-on month basis. Growth in tourist arrivals in 2009 was sluggish due to the global financial crisis which affected global tourism. Long haul travelling was cut down and many tourist destinations recorded a lesser number of arrivals.

Sri Lanka Tourism declared 2011 as the Visit Sri Lanka year which kicked of in grand style on January 1 with the welcoming of tourists at the airport by officials.

The first month has been set aside to promote beaches which is a traditional tourist attraction.

Sri Lanka Tourism held a catamaran race and a photographic exhibition depicting Sri Lankan Tourism products under the Refreshingly Sri Lanka program at the Goldisands Hotel in Negombo yesterday.

The twelve months of this year have been themed to promote the diverse attractions of tourism in Sri Lanka. February has been themed Sports and Adventure to coincide with the World Cup cricket matches that will be hosted by Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Tourism anticipates around 75,000 tourists during February for the matches that will be played in Hambantota, Colombo and Kandy.

"The Shangri-La Group will commence construction of the 500-room hotel by the end of the year as soon as relocation of the Defence Ministry is completed", Dr. Godahewa said.

Shangri-La, a Hong Kong based global hotel giant signed an agreement with the government last month to construct a seven star hotel at a cost of US $ 500 million in the heart of Colombo.

The hotel will be built on a six acre land at the Defence Ministry premises.

"The construction of a port city in Colombo will be a boon to tourism.The project will give a face lift to city tourism", Dr.Godahewa said.

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority will construct the port city at a cost of Rs. 450 million.Work on the project is expected to commence in March and land filling is scheduled to be completed in 2014.

"Foreign and local investors have shown keen interest in buying land in the East to build hotels. The East coast will be the leading location for tourism in the next five years", the Chairman said.

Most of the top local hotel chains have started constructing star class hotels and resorts in the East coast a hot spot for tourism in the country. Ten hotels are under construction in the East.