The Wildlife Department nearly doubled the rates of entrance fees to national wildlife parks, causing the tourism industry to suffer as a result of the directive being issued without prior notice.
Previous rates per person of Rs.9,688 have been increased to Rs.14,920, resulting in a Rs.5,232 increase. The tour operators have suffered significant losses as they had already entered into contracts well in advance.
One Voice for Tourism in Sri Lanka Mahen Kariyawasam, spokesman and former President of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), stated that contracts with foreign principals are signed 6-12 months in advance and that they should receive a lead time.
In this regard, he stated that the parks continue to lack basic sanitary facilities and are burdened by overcrowding, as well as a lack of trackers. These are some of the areas on which the department should focus, he said.
Despite these disadvantages, the department increased entrance fees “without any notice to tourism stakeholders at a time when we are struggling to promote and bring more tourists to the country,” he said.
In August, Sri Lanka received a 649.2 percent increase in tourist arrivals, with 37,760 visitors compared to the same period last year. Until the end of August, there have been 496,430 arrivals.
Tourist arrivals have decreased this year as a result of the Sri Lankan economic crisis and other related issues such as fuel and food shortages. Now that these issues have subsided and travel advisories against Sri Lanka have been lifted, the tourism industry believes that tourist arrivals will resume.
