Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam told Bangladeshi travel trade partners that hotel, transport and tourism services in Sri Lanka remain fully operational despite the Middle East conflict, and that hotel and service rates have not increased. Hewawasam was speaking at a media networking session at Le Meridien Dhaka as part of a two-day outreach organised with Bangladeshi tour operators.
“There is no energy crisis affecting hotels, transport, or tourism-related services. Tourists will not face any disruption, and there has been no increase in hotel or service rates,” Hewawasam said, according to Ada Derana’s reporting of the event.
The only cost impact facing Bangladeshi travellers is airfare. Fawzan Fareid, SriLankan Airlines Regional Manager for India, Bangladesh and Nepal, said the carrier has added a USD 30 fuel surcharge — $15 each way — on the Dhaka-Colombo route, attributing the increase to volatility triggered by the Strait of Hormuz disruptions. He said SriLankan is operating daily flights on the route while FitsAir runs four weekly services.
Hewawasam said around 60,000 Bangladeshi tourists visited Sri Lanka last year, making Bangladesh the 10th largest source market. Some 10,000 Bangladeshis have already travelled to the island this year, and the SLTPB is targeting 100,000 arrivals by year-end, with Bangladesh seen as a potential top-five source market.
Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh President Mohammad Rafeeuzzaman welcomed the outreach but raised concerns about airfares ranging from BDT 55,000 to BDT 75,000, calling for the reinstatement of visa-on-arrival facilities in place of the current USD 20 ETA system.
An exclusive B2B roadshow was held at the same venue on April 6. Dharmapala Weerakkody, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, presided over the session. The Ada Derana report cites The Bangladesh Monitor as the original source.
