18 per cent increase in British tourists to genocidal Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 May 2013, 21:32 GMT]
The British tourism market to the island of Sri Lanka has seen an 18 per cent increase from last year, according a report by Colombo based financial reporter Feizal Samath, published in TTG Asia, a tour industry publication on Tuesday. The increase in British tourists choosing Sri Lanka “killing fields” as tourist destination comes following the reports and a law-priced air travel campaign by the British Airways, which recently resumed its services with three flights a week from London Gatwick to Colombo via Male.

The TTG report, citing statistics from Sri Lanka Tourism released in early May, named the main tourism markets to the island as India, the UK, Germany, France and the Maldives.

The TTG report also quoted Hiran Cooray, chairman of Jetwing Hotels as saying that the increase could also be due to many expatriate ‘Sri Lankan’ Tamils who carry British passports and travel to the island to see their relatives.

“However, other sources noted that British travellers were choosing to stay in cheaper accommodation,” the news report said adding that Indian arrivals to the island as having declined due to the protests in Tamil-dominated Southern India.

“Explore the exotic wonders of Sri Lanka with its picturesque beaches, rich culture, and aromatic cuisine,” says a campaign by the British Airways.