SriLankan Airlines scrapping European flights a setback, hoteliers say

The decision by the national carrier to drop flights to certain important European markets from where arrivals had been growing fast in recent times is a setback for the tourism sector, according to a senior executive from one of the top local hotel groups. “We are facing some drawbacks like the loss of certain international flights,” said Director Operations of Jetwing Hotels Ltd. Jerome Auvity, speaking at the recent Indian Ocean Hospitality Investment Conference Indian Ocean held in Colombo.

“The national carrier stopped some European destinations including France from where we had seen huge growth coming,” he said during a panel discussion at the conference where drawbacks of operating in the Indian Ocean were discussed. SriLankan Airlines, which is saddled with heavy losses, has said it was withdrawing from loss-making routes as it struggled to return to profitability, with the government looking for an international airline to partner with the national carrier.

Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka grew 19.1% in July 2016 compared with the same month last year, according to the Monthly Bulletin of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.

India and China remained the biggest source markets but Western Europe is still the biggest regional market, from where arrivals grew by 20% percent to 77,862 in July 2016.

The number of tourists from the traditional U.K. market grew by 16% to 23,948 during the period, from Germany, another traditional market, by 29.2% to 10,971 and from France by 20.6% to 10,949, from the same month last year.

(CJ)