“Only cancel and only change the bookings you have to.”
That is the message from the former head of the Sri Lankan tourism board in the UK following the devastating Easter Sunday terror attacks, which left more than 250 people dead.
Jean-Marc Flambert, former director of Sri Lanka Tourism in the UK and Ireland, took to YouTube on Friday (26 April) to appeal directly to the UK travel trade for support following a series of suicide bombings in and around capital Colombo, targeting churches and high-end hotels.
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“Only cancel and only change the bookings you have to.”
That is the message from the former head of the Sri Lankan tourism board in the UK following the devastating Easter Sunday terror attacks, which left more than 250 people dead.
Jean-Marc Flambert, former director of Sri Lanka Tourism in the UK and Ireland, took to YouTube on Friday (26 April) to appeal directly to the UK travel trade for support following a series of suicide bombings in and around capital Colombo, targeting churches and high-end hotels.
The attacks resulted in the Foreign Office (FCO) revising its travel advice for Sri Lanka on Thursday (25 April) to advise against all but essential travel to the country.
The move sparked a swift response from agents and operators in the UK, offering clients either the means to leave the country on account of the ongoing political uncertainty or alternative travel arrangements for forward bookings.
“The travel agents and tour operators in the UK have been supporting Sri Lanka; I’ve come back to make that rallying call again,” said Flambert. “Together, we can defeat terrorism and one of those ways is to focus on tourism.
“I understand you need to cancel some bookings because people are nervous and the situation is still unfolding. But my message and my appeal to you is to only cancel those and only change the bookings that you have to. By that, I mean the ones in the next week or two weeks.
“The people of Sri Lanka will bounce back, we have many times before. The people are resilient, welcoming and they will look after all your guests. Please, any new bookings, take them for the weeks and months ahead. Any present bookings, try to hold on before you cancel or change them.”
Flambert added it was important to put the situation in context, with many of Sri Lanka’s key tourism centres far removed from where the attacks took place.
“CNN and BBC are showing you one side, and that’s a very sad, real side to part of the country,” he said. “But as you know, the country is huge. We have hundreds of miles between Colombo and some of our beaches and cultural heritage sites so a lot of Sri Lanka is running normally.
“There is hope, and with your help, there will be even greater hope.”
Sri Lankan finance minister Mangala Samaraweera told reporters in Sri Lanka on Friday the attacks could drive arrivals down 30% and cost the country’s tourism industry $1.5 billion this year, adding it could take the country up to two years to recover.
Meanwhile, a group of Aito’s Asia and Sri Lanka specialist tour operators vowed just hours before the FCO altered it travel advice to support Sri Lanka’s tourism industry in any way they could. In an updated statement, Aito director Sam Clark of Experience Travel Group said the incidents would undoubtedly “stall” visitor numbers in the short-term.
“The attacks on Easter Sunday were a shock to us all after the past 10 years of peace and stability in Sri Lanka,” he said. “It won’t put me off visiting but of course it is likely to cause a stall in visitor numbers for the next few months, which will adversely affect local suppliers and thus, unfortunately, fulfil one of the terrorists’ aims.
“I am confident Sri Lanka’s cultural, wildlife and safari offerings, coupled with its amazing coastline and beaches, and of course its charming and welcoming people, will assert a powerful draw to keen travellers before long. I know, too, that the welcome to those who visit will be the warmest and most hospitable that Sri Lankans can make it.
"Having been in touch with some of our clients in Sri Lanka personally over the last few days, I’ve told them that they are probably safer staying where they are, as long as they follow the FCO advice; they agree with me and are making the most of their trip to this jewel of an island.”
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