This is part of a series of letters I wrote to our guests after the horrible Easter Bombings that took place April 21st, 2019. It had such a positive response that I thought it would be good to share thoughts of the situation from inside as it transpired.
Part 2, May 22 2019
Dear Guests,
Quite a few things have happened since then and I thought it best to send another update.
On the security side things have calmed down quite a bit. Work and schools are back to normal. My own son Logan is happily running circles around his teachers instead of in the house and it's nice to see.
The only thing that is not working properly is our political leadership! Which is pretty much as it was - full of grumpy old men desperately clinging on for power and pointing fingers.
Despite that, our military forces have been doing a brilliant job securing all threats and providing a measure of calm and safety to the people. You may have heard of isolated incidences of riots but I assure you these are the results of politically motivated agitators trying gain an advantage in the upcoming elections, rather than a deep seeded sentiment of the people. The military has cracked down on these issues as well although it should have happened faster than it did.
The biggest development we, in the tourism sector, are all waiting for is a change to the travel restrictions placed on Sri Lanka. Removal of restrictions will again allow travel insurance to be granted and that should give travelers a positive sign that things are returning to normal. We have been given indications that these will be revised soon and are hopeful that our season will resume. I completely understand why people are being cautious and I would never recommend you do anything you felt put yourself at risk!
Bearing this in mind, we are doing everything we can to encourage people to visit Sri Lanka. In the weeks to come Spice Trail will be considering a few price promotions to attract new guests. I want to assure you that if we do this I will automatically adjust your booking to the best available price so that you are not left out of this opportunity. Your booking gives us hope and the least I can do is to make sure you benefit from any savings on offer.
Another option we are providing is to allow guests to postpone their travel for the next year while keeping this years rates locked in. Some guests have already done that and it is a huge help. I thank you for that!
One thing that has not been a disappointment however are the waves! The lineups are a little lighter so there is that to be thankful for. Here is main point - a five minute walk from our gates, doing it's thing. A few more spots are working really well now so the early bird can definitely score some relatively uncrowded peaks.
I hope to see you here at some point!
