Now, with the COVID-19 crisis affecting the industry in a catastrophic manner, there have been several requests for such programmes to be conducted again to help the industry.
Being the coordinator who structured and designed these programmes for MDF, I am not really sure how to respond to this gigantic crisis. It is much more complex and all-encompassing, since it’s a global issue, involving every aspect of the tourism and hospitality value chain.
Regardless of the complexity and the extent of the disaster, it may be worthwhile to think through how the Sri Lankan Tourism industry will evolve in the months to come.
Current status of tourism industry
When I penned my thoughts in early March 2020 in an article titled - ‘Tourism: ‘Mother of all crises’ around the corner?’, I did not even dream that things would become this serious. Airlines the world over have since stopped operating, airports are shut, hotels are closed, staff sent off. In short, tourism the world over has virtually grounded to a halt. I was wrong. This is not the ‘Mother of all crises’…but the ‘Mother and Grand Mother of all crises’!
So yes, it is a doom and gloom scenario we have now, inundated from every side, every minute, by every possible medium, about this COVID-19 issue. The numbers keep increasing faster than a taximeter.
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) expects a dip of about 25 percent or more in tourism earnings, with at least 50 million job losses worldwide, while Asia will account for about 30 million out of this.
The UN secretary-general has said that this crisis is ‘the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War’
So what do we in the Sri Lankan tourism industry do? Where do we go from here?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 16, 2020 من Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 16, 2020 من Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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