COLOMBO : In a press statement issued on Wednesday, oct,13, the Sri Lanka Tourism said on inquiring deeply into, the widely circulated YouTube video by a US Tourist, claiming that his pre-booked rental vehicle not being available on arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport led him in frustration to cancel his tour of the Island and return to Istanbul, finds that the passenger didn’t make any effort to contact the car rental company on arrival in Sri Lanka.
Recognizing the importance of ensuring that every single visitor to the country is warmly welcomed and treated to the high standards of visitor expectations and leave with memorable experiences that Sri Lanka Tourism is proud of, an in-depth inquiry was carried out. In a detailed report from the car rental company it is stated that the booking for transportation had been made via a third-party website and was in fact for the 6th of October 2021 and not the 7th of October 2021, on which date Mr. George, the tourist, arrived in the country. The inquiry revealed that the car rental company had sent a representative who had spent the day within the airport on 6th October, awaiting the traveller and had gone back to the base station which is located just 5 minutes from the airport terminal.
Tourism industry veterans find it strange that a visitor fluent in English, on arrival, did not contact the car rental company, from which he had booked transport which also has a vehicle station within five minutes from the airport terminal, and request for an alternative vehicle or in any other way try to request assistance from within the airport. The visitor also had the opportunity to speak to any one of the staff of the car rental companies, that have counters that are manned 24 hours, for the convenience of visitors arriving without prearranged transport and who would have gladly assisted him to proceed to his chosen accommodation and location. The irony is this visitor seems to be a seasoned traveller coming from San Francisco via Mexico City, Cancun, Istanbul and Maldives to Sri Lanka.
Nevertheless, Sri Lanka Tourism has taken due note of this complaint and urges industry partners and stakeholders of the importance of keeping their teams refreshed on service standards and work ethic that we must always deliver to, both local and foreign, travellers an experience that is in keeping with their expectations.
On 1st October Sri Lanka Tourism announced a relaxed, bubble free experience for fully vaccinated travellers arriving in the country with a negative PCR test taken 72 hours prior to embarkation. It was also announced that unvaccinated children travelling with vaccinated parents below the age of 12 years will not require an on-arrival PCR test. This ease in protocols has created a surge in interest in Sri Lanka as a destination of choice which has resulted in an increase in arrivals.
Sri Lanka Tourism is committed to creating an environment where travellers leave with memorable experiences yearning to return to the Island. Now the country is open to international visitors with all industry stakeholders poised and ready to welcome travellers to Sri Lanka — a destination long known as a treasure trove of possibilities waiting to be discovered.
CLARIFICATION ABOUT YOUR ARTICLE:
I am the “Frustrated Tourist”, George, that flew into Colombo and five hours later left on board the same aircraft that took me there. Before my trip I contacted the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington DC to ask everything about restrictions and problems with the covid, etc etc. and was told to just get the e-visa and go. I did. My itinerary was complex and flew from the U.S. to Mexico City, to Cancun, to Istanbul, then I took the flight to Colombo, and when I arrived and exit the airport was faced with the fact that the country may be officially out of lock-down, but there is no public transportation at all; no trains, no buses, no transport for regular people traveling the country or within the cities, the majority of business still closed, not all hotels operating etc. Having a Plan B, I proceeded to look for my car rental from an international car rental agency. Unable to find any booth or office at the airport for the car rental, I inquired with the Tourist Police about where to find it, tried other personnel, but no one knew where the foreign car rental agencies are. I took a tuk-tuk outside the terminal and the man assured me he knew where it was. He did not, took me to a place where Six Car Rental used to be, but now it is a construction company. So, there was a big effort from my part to try to stay and enjoy Sri Lanka, unfortunately the lack of structure impeded me from staying, the last thing was the requirement of a negative PCR test to leave the country and the fact that no one was able to provide me with info related on where to get it, since the test I arrived with was still valid, my decition was made; I will leave and come back on another time, when things normalize.
I ignore where you got your information, but it is erroneous and also lacking facts. This is the way it happened and stated right here by the person that experienced that.
There were some persons at the airport when I was in the process of getting out of the country on board the same aircraft I arrived in, and asked me to send them a video of my experience to make it public, and I did once I got to Istanbul. What I state there is the same as what I am stating here.
George