SRI LANKA: Tourists To Miss Out On Travel Insurance

Tourists who want to postpone travel to Sri Lanka in after the bomb attacks that killed 290 people will not be covered by their travel insurance.

The UK Foreign Office (FCO) updated its travel advice for Sri Lanka on Monday to include details of the nationwide curfew and pending state of emergency.

However, it is unlikely the FCO would issue a warning advising against all travel to Sri Lanka: such warnings area rare and usually region-specific.

Reflecting the increased threat, the FCO's current advice states:

Security has been stepped up across the island and there are ongoing security operations. These may continue for a number of days and the situation remains dynamic.

Please follow the advice of local security authorities, hotel security staff and your tour company. The airport is operating, but with increased security checks and long queues for taxi pick-ups.

Travel policies will not cover cancellations unless the FCO specifically advises against travel to the destination. Travel insurance does not cover disinclination to travel, said a spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

People's best recourse is to go to the holiday company they have booked through to discuss whether they can change their plans.

A traveller to Sri Lanka said: The situation seems to be changing by the hour and we'd hoped the FCO would be able to update its advice more than once a day, but it's obviously a terrible time for their staff, too.

We're mostly just grateful to be safe, but it seems odd that more and more Brits are arriving clueless, even as a state of emergency is announced. We can't make a claim unless the FCO advises against travel, which it hasn't yet done.

UK-based tour operators said normal booking conditions apply but they would consider requests to postpone travel on a case-by-case basis.

Kuoni said its clients flew to Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, the day of the attacks, and Easter Monday, as scheduled. It is in contact with customers at the destination and with local travel agents.

Tuesday will be a national day of mourning, so we are trying to find out whether excursions might be affected, said a spokesperson.

The Experience Travel Group said of six sets of clients travelling this week, only one had asked to postpone their trip. It too is considering requests, case-by-case.

Some airlines are also allowing travellers to amend their bookings. In a statement released on Easter Sunday, Emirates said customers with existing bookings to or from Colombo made on or before 21 April can amend or cancel flights without charge by contacting their booking agent.

The airline is also advising travellers to arrive at the airport at least four hours before departure this week, due to heightened security measures at Colombo Bandaranaike International airport.

A series of eight bombings targeted Christians at church services in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa and tourists staying in luxury hotels in the capital - killing 290 people, including eight Britons and four US citizens, and injuring 500.

Other countries have issued stricter warnings. The US state department increased its travel advisory level from normal to "exercise increased caution" following the attacks.

In Australia, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advised Australians to "reconsider your need to travel and avoid all affected areas".

In recent years, tourism to Sri Lanka has been increasing. This year, Lonely Planet declared it the top country in the world to travel to, citing improved transport links, a rise in the number of hotels , unmissable wildlife experiences and a growing surf scene.

Arrivals of 2.3 million in 2018 represented an increase of more than 400% on 2009, according to Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority data. The agency has a target of 4 million visitors by 2020.

On Monday, an 8pm-4am curfew was imposed. People travelling to or from the airport during the curfew have been told to make sure they have travel documentation with them. The curfew has caused confusion among holidaymakers because of to a social media shutdown .

A holidaymaker said of Sunday's curfew Locals seemed unaware that all food places would close, they were under the impression some stuff would be open and you could go to within walking distance.

Our guesthouse owner ended up coming back to the guesthouse as he lived nearby to cook us dinner as nothing else was open.

In the longer term, the impact will depend on the political response to the bombings.

The country as a whole is really focused on tourism and realises the importance of how secure it is. This will undoubtedly be a big step back, said Nick Pulley, managing director of Selective Asia.

The fact the bombings were quick to become a political issue who had been warned and who hadn't is the question.

The attacks are bound to have an impact, i think if people link this incident to the war years, it will bring back all sorts of bad associations for the country.

I don't think it will harm Sri Lankan tourism long term.


Tourism Observer

SRI LANKA: Ramesh Raju Honoured For Confronting Church Bomb Attacker

RAMESH RAJU
Ramesh Raju has become a hero to the shell-shocked congregation of the Zion evangelical church in Batticaloa after he died stopping a suicide bomber who was bent on killing hundreds of people.

Nearly a week after the bombing, the road leading to Raju's house in the eastern city is flanked by posters and photographs of the 40-year-old father of two who blocked the attacker at the church door.

A stream of well-wishers queue to express condolences to his widow, a Sunday school teacher.

Raju was one of 29 people, including 14 children, that media reports say died in the blast at Zion, one of three churches and three hotels targeted by bombers.

But about 600 people who were inside at the time escaped the human bomb. The dead from the other two churches make up the majority of the 253 overall death toll.

When he felt suspicious about the bomber he could have run away to safety but I think he chose to scuffle with him in order to stop him from entering the church, his father Velusami Raju said.

I feel very proud that he saved so many lives, especially so many children, he added.

The east coast city is thought to have become a target as the National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) blamed for the attacks came from the region.

Zion church was packed at the time and there were dozens of children fresh from Sunday school. Raju had volunteered to help manage the crowds, according to witnesses.

When he spotted an unfamiliar man carrying two huge bags, Raju confronted him and asked him to leave them outside. The bomb went off during the argument.

A number of other children and parents who were outside at the time were killed along with him.

He was a very good man, said Raju's father, who described his eldest son as the pillar of their large family.

Every memory we shared is so precious, he was the main support for our family, for his three younger sisters and younger brother, the 63-year-old said.

Father and son spoke just minutes before the explosion, Velusami said. Raju promised to call him back once the service was over.

The next time his phone rang, it was a parishioner calling to tell him his son had been killed in a blast.

Raju's younger sister also died in the bombing, along with her husband and 20-month-old son.

I have lost my grandson but at the same time I feel so proud that my son saved so many children, so other families don't have to go through what we are going through, the retired mill worker said, choking back tears.

Tucked away on a leafy street, the church is now surrounded by heavy security and investigators comb the premises for evidence.

The congregation does not know when a service will be held there again.

The other two churches attacked were Roman Catholic and the church's leaders have suspended all services across the country until Sri Lankan authorities can guarantee security.

Raju was a success story in the Muslim-majority town, setting up his own company at the age of 28 and raising a family with his high school sweetheart.

To his loved ones, the moments leading up to his death serve as yet another reminder of the scale of their loss.

A lot of army men came to the funeral and saluted his coffin because of his courage. I hope my son's actions inspire others to be brave, Velusami said.

Now that he's gone, I have no idea how we will go on but I am praying and asking God for help.


Tourism Observer