The ongoing economic crisis, hardship and unrest in Sri Lanka have affected an important link of its economy – tourism - as people from many countries, including India, have second thoughts about visiting the country now and many of them are redrawing their plans to visit the nation.
The food and fuel shortage in Sri Lanka has made travellers from across the world wary of visiting the nation at this time.
Britain and Canada have issued a travel advisory and asked citizens to be aware of the current economic situation in the island nation before planning a trip. Flights from India to Sri Lanka are either being cancelled or witnessing lower bookings due to the ongoing economic crisis.
Recently, IndiGo Airlines issued a statement saying, "We are witnessing lower bookings to Colombo due to the ongoing crisis. We are continuously monitoring the impact and may take appropriate action to adjust the capacity based on the demand and situation in Sri Lanka."
Air India also reduced its weekly flights to Colombo to 13 from 16 from April 8. Sri Lanka has been among the favourite holiday destinations for Indians due to affordability and access. Last year, 56,000 Indians visited the nation.
After Russia and India, Sri Lanka hosts the third-largest number of tourists from the UK. A large number of tourists from China also visit the country every year.
“There may be long queues at grocery stores, gas stations, and pharmacies. Local authorities may impose the rationing of electricity, resulting in power outages,” said the latest advisory issued by the British government.
Similarly, the Canadian government has also advised its citizens (going to Sri Lanka) to keep supplies of food, water, fuel, and medicine handy as "they may not be available" in the crisis-hit nation. Further, Canadian tourists have also been asked to monitor local media for the latest developments. Besides the UK and Canada, other nations are also monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka closely and are expected to release similar advisories soon.
Separately, the island nation is about to form an all-party government to tide over the present crisis. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday invited the Opposition to accept ministerial portfolios even as he named four new ministers.
“President Gotabaya Rajapaksa invited all political parties to come together to find solutions to the ongoing national crisis,” a statement issued by his office said.
Earlier, all 26 ministers in the cabinet, except Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, resigned en masse at a late-night meeting on Sunday.
The President on Monday named Ali Sabry as the new Finance Minister. He is replacing President's brother Basil Rajapaksa. GL Peiris has been sworn in as the Foreign Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena as the new Education Minister and Johnston Fernando as the new Minister of Highways.
Low tourist footfall will further impact the economy of Sri Lanka, where tourism accounts for about 5 percent of the country's GDP. With the country’s foreign currency reserves dwindling to just $2.3bn, Sri Lankans are struggling to get hold of daily essentials.
While India has extended a $2.4 billion financial aid to Sri Lanka, the island nation is still short of the money needed to service about $4 billion in outstanding debt this year. Sri Lanka is now expecting assistance from China and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
