RB
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Galle also for cricket, arrive by tuk tuk from the beach spots. We caught a ride from Hikkaduwa
Multiple bombs explode in Colombo [April 21]
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Galle also for cricket, arrive by tuk tuk from the beach spots. We caught a ride from Hikkaduwa
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So in laws are going for a month later in May. Looking at postponing. Family is saying not a good time to come.
Schools closed. Barely any fresh fruit and veg making it to markets. Barely any doctors traveling to the hospitals.
Tickets were booked via bestjet on SQ.. Going to be an interesting phone call to SQ to see if anything can be done
Schools closed. Barely any fresh fruit and veg making it to markets. Barely any doctors traveling to the hospitals.
Tickets were booked via bestjet on SQ.. Going to be an interesting phone call to SQ to see if anything can be done
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amaroo
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Devastating impact continues...
www.nytimes.com
Bombings Deflate Sri Lanka Tourism, and a Village That Depends on It (Published 2019)
A luxury resort that bills itself as a retreat from the world is far from the coastal cities targeted in the Easter Sunday attacks. But it, too, is feeling the effects.
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I'm sticking with my September booking.
kpc
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Not unexpected...my biggest concern is that there was apparently advanced warning and the government didn't seem to heed that warning. I was planning to take my family to SL for a holiday but those plans are on hold indefinitely...images of the Danish businessman who lost 3 out of 4 of his children don't disappear quickly!Devastating impact continues...
Bombings Deflate Sri Lanka Tourism, and a Village That Depends on It (Published 2019)
A luxury resort that bills itself as a retreat from the world is far from the coastal cities targeted in the Easter Sunday attacks. But it, too, is feeling the effects.
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Our friend is on her way home. Says the hotels were nearly empty, tour guides often with only 2-4 people in the group. One hotel only had 6 guests.
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Sounds like a good time to go, then...
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Agree ... I respect the caution of others, especially with families, but needn't deter everyone.
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If I had children under 18 years of age then I wouldn’t take them and would also reconsider whether we should go as well. Terrorism can happen anywhere but the Government inaction in this is another layer in the sad story.
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DFAT have just lowered their level of advice back to "exercise a high degree of caution" instead of "reconsider need to travel".
Melburnian1
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There is a 'lead time' before most book international travel. Travel agents I know claim passengers increasingly book trips closer to the date of travel but they don't tell me exactly how close.
In July 2019, overall foreign tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka were down 46.9 per cent to 115,701 compared with July 2018. That's better than the June drop (57 per cent) and May's decline (70.8 per cent) but still a very large loss of posteriors and revenue for airlines (especially UL), hotels and AirBnB accommodation, tour guides and drivers, taxi, tuk tuk/rickshaw/tricycle and rideshare drivers, restaurants that cater to foreigners, bus operators, souvenir shops and major and minor tourist attractions alike.
The biggest drop July on July was by the mainland Chinese (a decline of 74.8 per cent). In recent years this nationality has proven very easily put off by adverse events. While some Australians (the bogans) do our nation little credit by their uncouth behaviour, many other travellers may greet any decline in mainland Chinese visitation as cause for celebration given the way one sees some of them behave at hotel buffets or when waiting at major tourist attractions. And it's not just me: when I've been in countries like the US, Germany and Canada, a long way from mainland China, operators at government-run attractions have occasionally told me how aggressive some of the mainland Chinese tour guides can be in trying to get their group(s) in ahead of others who are patiently waiting their turn.
The number of Australians visiting Sri Lanka in July 2019 was 5619 compared with 8801 in July 2018, so a 36.2 per cent decline. Significant, but less than the total figure dropped. We are the seventh largest source of foreign travellers for Sri Lanka, but on a per capita basis more likely to visit than five of the six natiinalities that rank above us (Netherlands, population 17 million the exception). If I was marketing Sri Lankan tourism I might be spending more dollars in Oz if knew that, although the statistics do not disclose whether the visitors are Sri Lankans who have obtained Australian citizenship and largely stay as VFR in relatives' homes, spending less per day, or whether they are Caucasian or other background who travel and stay in commercial accommodation, spending more per day:
The figures suggest that we Australians tend to be more prepared to travel to destinations that have recently experienced strife than are travellers worldwide. Maybe it's also that because we perceive ourselves as isolated geographically, we are more likely to travel 'no matter what.'
(There's also the 'Australia tax' that AFFer MEL_Traveller correctly referred to in another thread. Often, we pay more per kilometre of international airline travel so if there's a hefty cancellation charge that one can't get back in full from a travel insurer, it may also influence our decision to still go.)
Many hotel and similar staff must have had their hours drastically cut or been made redundant. Replacement jobs may be difficult to find. Tourism had been a boom story like some other economies such as Thailand experienced.
I've been before, largely travelling by train. Most enjoyable, but one pays through the nose at the more popular tourist attractions. Locals pay a smidgeon of what outsiders are charged.
I wouldn't hesitate in visiting again.
It will be interesting to see how long the figures take to recover. Perhaps by December/ January they'll only be 10 per cent down on the comparable month a year ago, or even fully recovered, provided there's no more attacks on Catholic Churches, luxury hotels or other targets.
UL has been in financial trouble for years. This 'tourist recession' must mean losses will further deepen.
In July 2019, overall foreign tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka were down 46.9 per cent to 115,701 compared with July 2018. That's better than the June drop (57 per cent) and May's decline (70.8 per cent) but still a very large loss of posteriors and revenue for airlines (especially UL), hotels and AirBnB accommodation, tour guides and drivers, taxi, tuk tuk/rickshaw/tricycle and rideshare drivers, restaurants that cater to foreigners, bus operators, souvenir shops and major and minor tourist attractions alike.
The biggest drop July on July was by the mainland Chinese (a decline of 74.8 per cent). In recent years this nationality has proven very easily put off by adverse events. While some Australians (the bogans) do our nation little credit by their uncouth behaviour, many other travellers may greet any decline in mainland Chinese visitation as cause for celebration given the way one sees some of them behave at hotel buffets or when waiting at major tourist attractions. And it's not just me: when I've been in countries like the US, Germany and Canada, a long way from mainland China, operators at government-run attractions have occasionally told me how aggressive some of the mainland Chinese tour guides can be in trying to get their group(s) in ahead of others who are patiently waiting their turn.
The number of Australians visiting Sri Lanka in July 2019 was 5619 compared with 8801 in July 2018, so a 36.2 per cent decline. Significant, but less than the total figure dropped. We are the seventh largest source of foreign travellers for Sri Lanka, but on a per capita basis more likely to visit than five of the six natiinalities that rank above us (Netherlands, population 17 million the exception). If I was marketing Sri Lankan tourism I might be spending more dollars in Oz if knew that, although the statistics do not disclose whether the visitors are Sri Lankans who have obtained Australian citizenship and largely stay as VFR in relatives' homes, spending less per day, or whether they are Caucasian or other background who travel and stay in commercial accommodation, spending more per day:
The figures suggest that we Australians tend to be more prepared to travel to destinations that have recently experienced strife than are travellers worldwide. Maybe it's also that because we perceive ourselves as isolated geographically, we are more likely to travel 'no matter what.'
(There's also the 'Australia tax' that AFFer MEL_Traveller correctly referred to in another thread. Often, we pay more per kilometre of international airline travel so if there's a hefty cancellation charge that one can't get back in full from a travel insurer, it may also influence our decision to still go.)
Many hotel and similar staff must have had their hours drastically cut or been made redundant. Replacement jobs may be difficult to find. Tourism had been a boom story like some other economies such as Thailand experienced.
I've been before, largely travelling by train. Most enjoyable, but one pays through the nose at the more popular tourist attractions. Locals pay a smidgeon of what outsiders are charged.
I wouldn't hesitate in visiting again.
It will be interesting to see how long the figures take to recover. Perhaps by December/ January they'll only be 10 per cent down on the comparable month a year ago, or even fully recovered, provided there's no more attacks on Catholic Churches, luxury hotels or other targets.
UL has been in financial trouble for years. This 'tourist recession' must mean losses will further deepen.
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I can well understand your feelings and those of others on the forum. We were in Sri Lanka in Feb for my son's wedding - my new daughter in law is from Colombo, and we enjoyed a few weeks travelling around the place. Even my wife, who is a nervous traveller, said she always felt safe.
It's always so hard these days. We were in southern France a few weeks after the nut job in Nice drove his truck through the crowd. And I've been in the centre of Melbourne a couple of hours before the two attacks happened in Bourke Street. As some people say, travelling somewhere after an incident is the safest, as everyone is on notice. But it doesn't take away the worry.
All I can say is Sri Lanka is a special place, with lovely people and I think if you go there now, they will look after you
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I’ll be there for two weeks after about the next three weeks in India come Sunday.
RoMambai
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I was with over 1000 ADF personnel on exercise in Colombo (many of us were r&r-ing at the Shang, including yours truly) just days before this atrocity. Had the attacks happened when the Task Group was there, it would have been a blood bath. My heart goes out to SL.
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