Tourists happy to be here, but warn delays at BIA and price hikes may deter travellers

Magdalena and Glenn, who wished to be identified by their first names, arrived from Sheffield, England, around 10 days ago and headed to Hikkaduwa to meet local and overseas expatriate friends.

“We have been relaxing at the beach and I have been surfing,” he told the Sunday Times. “We will also be visiting Mirissa, Ella, Deniyaya, the Sinharaja Forest reserve and Jaffna.”

Sri Lanka is a year-round destination. Travel experiences vary according to source market: Europeans generally prefer long beach stays and short trips to the cultural triangle and wildlife parks; West Asians prefer the cooler central hills; Indians do a mix of hills, beach and the cultural triangle.

A team from The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) is creating a database with close to 5000 experiences and sites to explore. These will be shared via a Travel App now under development, the Sunday Times learns.

“We come to Sri Lanka twice a year and have been to most of the top attractions,” said Daniel Parkinson, also from England. “We like to cook our own food bought from local shops and use local transport. We went whale watching in Mirissa but did not enjoy it as there were too many boats and it felt like whale hunting. The elephant sanctuary and the tea gardens were a good experience for us.”

Many tourists had concerns about the lack of organisation and service at the airport which resulted in delays. “Tourists will go elsewhere where they have an easy transition after 15 to 20 hours of travelling,” warned Glenn. Other concerns included the price hikes and beach erosion.

“I was charged £48 for a fruit,” Daniel exclaimed. “Prices have definitely increased since our last trip.”