Tourism vs Omicronism - EDITORIAL

Sixteen thousand tourists visited Sri Lanka in the first week of January, according to Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga. It appears tourism is once again raising its head. Bookings at tourist hotels are already filling up. Entrepreneurs - both big and small - are gearing to meet anticipated challenges.   
After the two-year break commencing with the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks on three churches and three tourist hotels in 2019, the tourism industry literally died. According to the Tourism Bureau, the country lost nearly US$750 million that year.  

Tourism was Sri Lanka’s third largest and fastest growing source of foreign currency in the aftermath of the near three-decade-long terrorist war. Prior to the Easter Sunday bombings, Tourism was Sri Lanka’s third largest and fastest growing source of foreign currency, after private remittances textile and garment exports. It accounted for almost US$4.4 billion in foreign exchange earnings or 4.9% of gross domestic product in 2018.  
Sri Lanka recorded over 1.9 million tourist arrivals in 2019, a 21% drop from the previous year in the aftermath of the April 2019 Easter Sunday Terror Attacks.  

Together, the Easter Sunday carnage in April 2019 and the Covid pandemic of 2020 saw an almost complete drying up of this valuable source of foreign currency into the country. The combined effects of the Easter Sunday bombings and the pandemic saw businesses of small-scale entrepreneurs fold.   

Together with the pandemic it spelt disaster for over 500,000 city workers (over 55% of Colombo’s workforce) who depended on a daily wage for a living. Those workers in the mercantile sector who were forced to bear-in some instances wage cuts of up to 50% of their wages - joined the growing numbers of new poor in the country.   
This situation is now gradually changing. The sight of tourists on our roads, streets and even in public transport is not rare. The corona virus in our country has been brought down to controllable levels with around 80% of the adult population having been fully vaccinated.   

Banks are offering loans to entrepreneurs especially in the tourist sector to help recommence those the tourist industry hit in the aftermath the Easter Sunday attacks and the Covid pandemic. Its a sign of anticipated revival in the field of tourism giving a much needed boost to our crumbling economy.  
But at the same time we need to recognise that all is not hunky-dory.  
The BBC reports the UK, after a steady rise of Covid-19 cases in November, there was a sharp increase in daily confirmed cases in December, driven by the new Omicron variant. The report added a further 141,472 confirmed cases were announced on Sunday. (January 9).  

The emergence of Omicron means restrictions (including restrictions on travel) are in place as a precaution across the UK. On Thursday, the UK reported 179,756 cases and 231 Covid-related deaths. A number of hospitals in the UK have declared “critical” incidents due to staff absence and rising pressures due to increased Covid numbers.  
Elsewhere, hospital numbers are also rising. France’s health minister Olivier Veran warned this week that January would be tough for hospitals. He added that Omicron patients were taking up “conventional” beds in hospitals while Delta was putting a strain on ICU departments.   

On Monday, the US recorded more than one million Covid cases in 24 hours.   
More Omicron cases were reported in China on Monday. The number of cases in the city of Tianjin, which borders Beijing, doubled from 20 to 40, while two new cases were reported in central China, according to state media.  
India on Monday reported 179,723 new infections, 12.5% more than the previous day, driven by a spike in cases in cities like New Delhi and Mumbai.  

What this means is that the Covid pandemic whilst not raging as it was earlier last year, it has still not been totally controlled and the virus continues to mutate. Two days ago media reported over 125 incoming tourists on a particular flight from Italy were found to be Covid positive when they arrived in India.  

The good news is that the vaccines have helped mellow its worst effects of the pandemic as in the numbers dying of the disease and in the numbers needing hospitalization. It also means that more and more people will be travelling, thus reviving tourism.  
We in turn need to ensure those coming into the country are strictly monitored and ensure measures such as testing incoming tourists are implemented so tourists don’t become Covid spreaders.