![]() ![]() In May, a month after the attacks, visitor numbers were down by around 70%.Ĭaught off guard and unable to pay wages, some employers were forced to let their staff go. An estimated half a million Sri Lankans depend on tourism directly, while two million rely on it indirectly. Tourism is Sri Lanka’s third largest foreign exchange earner, bringing around $4.4 billion annually. ![]() Tour guides, souvenir sellers, drivers – pretty much anyone whose livelihood depended on tourism – saw their income vanish overnight. Already reeling from the loss of lives, the island was also forced to face the brutal financial consequences.īookings were canceled. It also sheds light on changing attitudes among tourists to places that have been blighted by violence.įor Sri Lanka, immediately after the attacks things looked bleak. Courtesy Sri Lanka TourismĪ paradise lost seems to have been born again.Īnd while this is clearly good news for Sri Lanka, and for those looking to vacation there in the months to come, it’s also a valuable case study for the travel industry in how a destination rebounds from adversity. The attack brought a thriving travel industry – some 2.33 million annual visitors last year – instantly to its knees as safety fears underscored by official travel warnings drove many people to cancel trips and stay away.īut, against strong odds – exacerbated by the fact Sri Lanka had just a decade earlier emerged from a bloody 26-year civil war between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels in the island’s north – the country has begun to reestablish itself as a prime destination.Īfter the Easter Bombings, visitor numbers in Sri Lanka declined by around 70%. The place is Sri Lanka, the South Asian island nation off the southeastern tip of India, lapped by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.Īnd the reason why no one was visiting? A series of terrorist attacks targeting churches and luxury hotels in its capital city Colombo that left 250 people dead in April of this year. But for much of the past six months, these idyllic spots have stood empty of all but a few visitors. ![]() It was even named the top country to visit in 2019 by Lonely Planet. It has incredible food, UNESCO-rated historical sites and diving resorts, charming railways, hiking, safaris and relaxation. It has mile after mile of powder sand beaches lapped by clear, warm surf. ![]()
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