Peace in Sri Lanka brings sales boom

Rob Gill Sales to Sri Lanka are on the rise as the country prepares to celebrate the first anniversary of the end of its civil war.

Operators are expanding their programmes to the Indian Ocean island as it starts to benefit from a year of peace following the 25-year conflict with rebels, which ended in May 2009. 

Adventure specialist Explore has seen sales to Sri Lanka rise by 200% compared with the same time last year. Head of product strategy Peter Crane said: “We always operated to Sri Lanka during the conflict but headlines don’t make for strong bookings. That’s all changed now.” 

“The country is also great value for a long-haul destination as it’s cheap to fly to. We will expand our programme with a new tour for the autumn, which will be more focused on activities.” 

Tui brands Hayes & Jarvis and Thomson Tailormade are also strengthening their Sri Lankan programme for winter 2010-11 including new hotels and Yala national park in the island’s south-east, which had been closed to visitors due to the war. 

Product manager Juliet Darlington said that sales were up by 50% on last year. “Sri Lanka has really taken off and sales for the winter season have been exceptional,” she said. “It’s good value with prices of £499 for 10 nights in a four or five-star hotel. We have a lot of people who combine a tour with a beach stay. 

Kuoni is also planning to expand in Sri Lanka. The long-haul operator says it has seen “huge demand” for beach holidays as well as “encouraging” growth in touring holidays in recent months. 

The latest arrival figures confirm Sri Lanka’s tourism boom, with overall visitor numbers rising by 47% to 38,300 in April compared with the same month in 2009. 

Arrivals have risen for 11 consecutive months since the war ended – a total increase of 23% over this period. For the first four months of 2010, there was a 49.7% rise to 198,700 compared with last year.