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| Sunday, 27 January 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Tourist
industry here in doldrums
by JAYAMPATHY JAYASINGHE The Tourist industry worldwide is facing a crisis following the terrorist attack on the American twin-tower World Trade Centre (WTC) and the Pentagon headquarters last September, and as a result there was a drastic reduction of tourists from foreign countries to Sri Lanka. Tourism Minister Gamini Lokuge said that the Ceylon Hotels Corporation too was affected as a result of the LTTE attack on the Bandaranaike International Airport and the Katunayake Air Force base last July. The minister visited the Ceylon Hotels Corporation last Wednesday when the new Chairman, Bodhi Ranasighe, assumed office at a simple ceremony. Mr. Lokuge said that tourism had been given top priority in Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's economic recovery plan. When he was the Minister of Tourism during the previous UNP regime, the Corporation was running at a loss in 1988 but recorded a profit in 1994. Since then the profits had declined gradually. The golden period for tourism in Sri Lanka was in 1983, he said. The Ceylon Hotels Corporation General Manager, S.B. Wegadapola, said that the corporation was now facing a big challenge due to the present crisis which had further aggravated owing to a sudden increase of wages for its employees. The Ceylon Hotels Corporation was formed when Mr. J.R. Jayewardene was the State Minister in 1969 with the participation of both state and private sector. At present, there were 17 rest houses under the Corporation with the Treasury and the Bank of Ceylon owing 25.53 shares and the Treasury 28.57 shares with the balance by the private sector. A few years ago, the corporation focused a great deal on promoting regional tourism with the help of the private sector. According to statistics, there was a marked improvement in domestic tourism. However, the plan could not be fully implemented due to various constraints. In fact the then Minister Dharmasiri Senanayake had even proposed to acquire 32 more rest houses and 105 circuit bungalows which were under several ministries, but it did not materialise due to financial problems. Mr. Dharmasiri Senanayake had also proposed to declare Seetha Eliya as a cultural and holy city to attract Indian tourists, but several Buddhistf organisations opposed the move. Tourism Ministry's Senior Secretary, Dr. P. Ramanujam, Hotels Corporation Chairman Bodhi Ranasinghe and Ceylon Tourist Board Chairman, Renton de Alwis were also present at the ceremony. |
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