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

ESTONIA: Estonia And Sri Lanka To Host Multiple Events

July 1st is the day Estonia begins its six-month term at the helm of the Council of the EU, the country has its plans firmly set on both the event-hosting and political fronts. More than 260 events that are slated to take place during the period, pulling in an estimated 25,000 visitors from abroad.

Most of the conferences will be held in Tallinn, with the Tallinn Creative Hub acting as the main venue for EU presidency-related gatherings.

The unusually large number of events packed into such a short time frame certainly presents a challenge for the Estonian meetings industry, but as Estonians are known for their flexibility and outside-the-box solutions, we're confident that Team Estonia can pull off these events without a hitch,” said ECB Managing Director Kadri Karu.

Among the notable international conferences to take place in the Estonian capital during the presidency will be the Startup Nations Summit, the Connecting Europe Conference and the Estonian Health Tech Cluster's eHealth conference, with the latter two expected to attract 1,500 and 700 delegates, respectively.

Just as these meetings typify Estonia's strong pro-technology credentials, the political priorities the nation has set for its presidential term show an equally tech-related focus.

“Every initiative should be designed to facilitate the lives of businesses and citizens, and to reduce bureaucracy, using as many e-solutions as possible,” Estonia's Government Office wrote, referring to its four policy priorities: an open and innovative European economy, a safe and secure Europe, a digital Europe and the free flow of data, and an inclusive and sustainable Europe.

The Government Office noted that the overarching aim of the Estonian EU presidency was “ensure that the EU remains united and decisive.”

Meanwhile, The PATA Annual Summit 2017 (PAS 2017), under the theme ‘Disruption. Innovation. Transformation: The Future of Tourism’, opened in Negombo, Sri Lanka on May 18 with 406 delegates from 191 organisations representing 39 countries attending the four-day event.

PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy told local and international media, “The PATA Annual Summit brings together international thought leaders, industry shapers and senior decision-makers who are professionally engaged with the Asia Pacific region. At PATA we understand that, to overcome the challenges and issues facing our industry, the public and private sectors must work together.

The summit began with 130 students, alumni, lecturers and industry professionals from Sri Lanka and overseas participating at the PATA Youth Symposium 2017 with the theme ‘No Barriers: Millennials and the Future of Tourism’. The symposium was hosted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management (SLITHM).

Opening remarks at the one day conference on Friday, May 19 were given by the Hon. John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism, Lands and Christian Religious Affairs, Sri Lanka, and by UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai. The conference keynote address on ‘Managing disruption through innovation’ was given by Rafat Ali, CEO & founder of Skift.

Delegates also heard from international thought leaders and industry shapers including Aleandre Kwan, Philanthropies Asia Programme Manager - Microsoft; Andrew Chan, founder and CEO of ACI HR Solutions; Andrew Craig, Head of Corporate Communication India, South Asia and Southeast Asia - Visa Worldwide; Faeez Fadhlillah, CEO and Co-founder – Tripfez; Greg Klassen, Partner at Twenty31 Consulting Inc.; Ha Lam, Co-founder and COO – Triip.me; Jesse Desjardins, Global Manager, Social & Content - Tourism Australia; Joe M. Naaman, Senior Executive Advisor – Global Advisory Council, Skylight Intelligence; Joe Nguyen, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific – comScore; Jeremy Jauncey, founder & CEO – Beautiful Destinations; Muna Haddad, Managing Director - Baraka; Oliver Martin, Partner at Twenty31 Consulting Inc.; Sarah Mathews, Head of Destination Marketing APAC – TripAdvisor; Thao Nguyen, Head of Strategic Partnerships, APAC – Airbnb; Vijay Poonoosamy, Vice President, International Affairs, Office of the President & CEO, Etihad Airways, and Wong Soon-Hwa, Regional Director APAC – Blacklane.

Other topics discussed during the conference were: ‘‘The Transformation of Marketing’, ‘Research Innovation’, ‘Disrupting the Travel Industry’, ‘The Real Future of Tourism: Young Tourism Professionals’, and ‘Embracing Disruption: A Blueprint for the Future of Tourism’.

PATA, in partnership with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), held a half-day PATA/UNWTO Ministerial Debate on Saturday, May 20 when representatives from the public and private sectors discussed the concepts of recognised sustainability leadership and the sharing economy as they pertain to the travel and tourism industry. The debate was moderated by BBC News Correspondent & Presenter Yogita Limaye.

Panellists included Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, Director General - Tourism Malaysia; Mr. Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO - Nepal Tourism Board; Mr. Wander Meijer, Director Asia Pacific - GlobeScan; Mr. Hiran Cooray, Chairman - Jetwing Hotels; Mr Jon Nathan Pangilinan Denight, President and CEO - Guam Visitors Bureau; Mr. Lawrence Leong, Former Assistant Chief Executive (International Group) - Singapore Tourism Board; Ms. Thao Nguyen, Head of Strategic Partnerships, APAC - Airbnb, and Mr. Erick Stephens, Chief Technology Officer-APAC, Microsoft.

Before the session on ‘The Shift to Recognised Sustainability Leadership in the Travel and Tourism Industry’, Dr. Rifai provided an inspiring speech regarding the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, while Mr Ali presented on the personalisation of the sharing economy before the session on ‘The Sharing Economy and Travel and Tourism’.

In his speech Dr. Rifai noted, “Asia and the Pacific, which leads the world in international tourism growth, can and should, be a leader in sustainability and innovation; a leader in utilizing the transformative power of travel and tourism in building a new and better world.

A world which is today without any doubt steered by the Pacific.That is why PATA, bringing together the two margins of the Pacific is today a truly global and not only a regional organization.

Delegates gained additional insights about the latest travel and tourism industry trends during the PATA Insights Lounge powered by PechaKucha (formerly the PATA Marketplace) with presentations from Richard Lewis, Partnerships Director Travel and Tourism - What3Words; Mr. Jauncey; Vinoop Goel, Regional Director – Airport, Passenger, Cargo & Security Asia Pacific, IATA; John Schubert, Managing Director – Marketing Asia Pacific and India, Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Mr. Stephens; Mr. Nguyen, and Jameson Wong, Director, Business Development, ForwardKeys.

After the presentations, Mr Ali moderated a quick session with all the speakers, highlighting some of the challenges and opportunities for the travel and tourism industry in the current state of the world.

Other highlights of the four-day event included the PATA Awards Presentation, the election of the new PATA Executive Board, the Signing Ceremony of the Private Sector Commitment to the Global Code of Ethics by Triip.me, the signing ceremony with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) for PATA Annual Summit 2018, and the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Mei Shan Municipality Tourism to strengthen the strategic cooperation between both organisations.