by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 4:01 PM ET, Mon April 22, 2019
In the wake of Sunday's terrorist attacks that left 290 people dead and hundreds more injured, tourists are scrambling to leave Sri Lanka.
A new report from Bloomberg says hotels in the country are now bracing for the fallout from the coordinated terrorist event which encompassed luxury hotels and churches and represents the worst violence in Sri Lanka since the end of a civil war 10 years ago.
The attack, which is being attributed to a small radical Islamist group, National Thowheeth Jama'ath, targeted both foreigners and local churchgoers. Of the 290 who were killed, 39 were foreigners from the U.S., Australia, China, Portugal, Japan, and the U.K.
Visitors in the country have descended on Sri Lanka's main airport, abruptly ending vacations.
A Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority official told Bloomberg he was unable to provide an exact amount for the number of people fleeing the country but estimated it could be well into the thousands.
In addition, tour operators in India, which represents the largest source market for visitors to Sri Lanka, have begun canceling trips.
None of which is good news for Sri Lanka's tourism industry, which Bloomberg says contributes nearly five percent to the country's economy.
The country's top tourist spots, including the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, remain closed.
In addition, several hotels in Colombo, including the Taj Samudra and Ramada, have erected barricades and are checking vehicles entering the premises.
The U.S., Canada, and the U.K. have all issued warnings, cautioning citizens about traveling to Sri Lanka, with the U.K. even raising the possibility of more attacks.
National Thowheeth Jama'ath, the organization blamed for the deadly attack, had never carried out a serious attack before in Sri Lanka. The government claims the group received assistance from international terrorist organizations and have arrested 24 people in connection with the attacks. Yet, neither they nor any other group has claimed responsibility for the bombings.
Prior to the attacks, the country's tourism industry represented an economic bright spot for Sri Lanka's economy, said Bloomberg, a place that had struggled to recover after a three-decade-long civil conflict and political turmoil. Visitor arrivals have increased more than five times since the war ended.
What's more, Lonely Planet had named Sri Lanka ta top travel destination for 2019 thanks to the country's religious diversity, historic temples, rich wildlife, and growing surf scene.
"Even during 26 years of war, we did not experience a calamity like this," Hiran Cooray, chairman of Jetwing Symphony, the investment arm of Sri Lankan hotelier Jetwing, told Bloomberg. While there have been some cancellations so far," Cooray said, "the tourism industry will come out of this."
The president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, Pronab Sarkar, told Bloomberg he expects to see a "knee-jerk reaction" among tourists and then, ideally, relief thereafter.
"Cancellations and change in plans will be visible for the next 15 days and then it should start reviving again," he said. "The government can't afford to let that sink again," he said of Sri Lanka's rejuvenated tourism sector.
Country officials, meanwhile, are also working to blunt the damage to the tourism industry.
Tourism Minister John Amaratunga gathered industry leaders from the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, Colombo City Hotels Association and Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators on Sunday to discuss enhanced security measures, the local newspaper Daily FT, reported.
The Easter Sunday suicide bombers attacked three churches in Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa at 8:45 a.m. when worshipers gathered for service.
There were also four hotel attacks in the nation's capital, Colombo. The hotels involved were the Shangri-La Hotel, Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Kingsbury Hotel, and the New Tropical Inn. An eighth blast occurred in a home.
Three police officers were also killed during a raid on a house in Colombo, as they tried to interrogate a person believed to be involved in the attacks.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
