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Tourists Told Sri Lanka Is Still A Safe Destination

Fri, 20 Oct 2006

Tourists are still travelling to Sri Lanka despite the recent bomb attack in a region popular with travellers from abroad.

The attack took place in the port of Galle, a historic city in the south of the country, was the work of the Tamil Tiger Rebels. The suicide boat attack is first time since 1997 that the terrorist organisation has attacked the city. Galle is very popular with tourists owing to its Unesco World Heritage -protected fort.

The UK director, Jean-Marc Flambert, of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board is insisting that Galle is safe. He dispatched an email to leading UK travel companies yesterday morning telling them that he was in Sri Lanka and that the region was safe for tourists to return to.

"All has returned to normal," he said. "I would like to stress that the attack was on a Navy base, so once again a targeted attack. The base is just south of the town ."

Britons have been advised not to visit the north and eastern areas of the country, as this is where the majority of violent incidents associated with the Tamil Tigers occur. The attack in the south has been acknowledged by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, know as the FCO, who said that a curfew is now in place in Galle but tourists should not cancel plans to come to the island.

Another agency that has also played down the incident is The Association of British Travel Agents, or ABTA. A spokesman said the numbers of Britons currently visiting Sri Lanka, where the peak season for tourists is December, would be in the 1000's. "We have not had any calls from our members or from the public concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka", he concluded.

He added that Explore, an adventure travel company, has been organising trips to Sri Lanka for over 15 years. They have two groups in Sri Lanka, which take in excess of 600 passengers to Sri Lanka annually.

Derek Moore, their Founding Director says the company was saddened by the news of the attacks but says the tours will continue, although the situation will be monitored. Moore said that full support would continue to be given to the country, which has suffered both due to the ongoing civil war and the 2004 tsunami .
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