Last modified on: 4/14/2010 8:55:46 AM Hotel owners add more rooms with influx of foreign holidaymakers

Last modified on: 4/14/2010 8:55:46 AM

Hotel owners add more rooms with influx of foreign holidaymakers
It is now boom times for Sri Lanka. The island's hotel owners are racing to refurbish and add thousands more rooms as foreign holidaymakers pour into the country after the end of the war.
Leading hotel groups plan to spend millions of dollars on new decor and facilities for the influx of tourists drawn to the plentiful sunshine, beaches and tropical wildlife on the Indian Ocean island nation. The ambitious expansion comes amid a post-war revival that has pushed up hotel room rates and given the hospitality industry something to cheer for the first time in years.
For once, after seeing tourists put off by violence and travel warnings from foreign governments, the industry says it is struggling to find places for the visitors, most of whom come from Britain, Germany, France, India and Japan.
Counting on this solid demand, many are now investing in new furniture, bars, restaurants, swimming pools and extensions.
Sri Lanka's Tourist Board expects the total number of hotel rooms to grow from about 15 000 now to 22 000 in the next
The industry is hoping to attract 2.5 million visitors by 2016, up from 447 890 in 2009, the final year of hostilities.
It is also hoping to earn $2-billion annually in tourist revenue by 2016, up from $350-million last year.
Courtesy: Independent Television Network