BENTOTA: Sri Lanka’s US$4.4 billion (RM18.2 billion) tourism industry is reeling from cancellations as travellers shun the sun and sand Indian Ocean i...
An empty beach is seen near a sign of the boat safari and whale watching center in a tourist area in Bentota, Sri Lanka May 2, 2019. - Reuters: Sri Lanka’s US$4.4 billion tourism industry is reeling from cancellations as travellers shun the sun and sand Indian Ocean island after multiple suicide bombings that killed over 250 people two weeks ago.
Tourism, which accounts for 5% of the country’s gross domestic product, has suffered as tourists from around the world cancelled hotel and flight bookings fearing more attacks. Net hotel bookings dropped a staggering 186% on average over the week following the attacks compared to the same period last year, data from travel consultancy ForwardKeys showed. A decline of more than 100% indicates more cancellations than bookings.
Tourism took off in Sri Lanka, which boasts of a 1,600-km long coastline, following the end of the decades-long civil war with Tamil separatists in 2009. It was Sri Lanka’s third largest and fastest growing source of foreign currency last year.
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