Sri Lanka’s tourism industry rapidly recovering from the Easter Terror last year is facing another blow following he outbreak of corona-virus in China as the country will be loosing eminent upsurge in Chinese travellers in the island during the coming months, travel agents said.
The country is bracing for a hit from the impact of corona-virus with a downturn in tourist arrivals mainly from China, they added. .
Authorities in China have already begun placing restrictions in an effort to contain the virus, including suspending all tour groups and the sale of flight and hotel packages for its citizens headed overseas.
Chinese Embassy in Colombo has informed its nationals from Corona-virus affected areas including Hubei Province to cancel or postpone their visits to Sri Lanka.
The Embassy, issuing a statement, stated that Chinese authorities have responded to the epidemic with the highest attention, and have taken strict measures to control it from further spread.
It has also fully cooperated with Sri Lanka departments and taken effective precautions, trying the very best to protect Sri Lanka and its people from the epidemic, the embassy media release said.
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi stated that issuing ‘On Arrival Visa’ has been cancelled for tourists from China with immediate effect.
Coming amid the Chinese New Year, the most significant holiday for travel, tourism officials are already warning of a "significant impact" on the industry and the economy.
China is Sri Lanka’s second-largest tourist source market and brought in 167,863 travellers last year. China has over 150 million outbound tourists, with it increasing 14% year-on-year.
The number of Chinese tourist arrivals increased significantly after 2013. Chinese tourist arrivals grew by a remarkable 72.5% in 2010-2016. The growing trade and investment relations between China and Sri Lanka created ample opportunities for the expansion of tourist arrivals from China.
(LI)