Rich culture and natural beauty helped make Sri Lanka an attractive tourist destination. The economic crisis threatens to erode the reputation of the Sri Lankan Tourism Industry. Tourists visiting this island are getting more than they bargained for due to the multi-vector ongoing turmoil caused by a severe foreign exchange deficit.

The difficulty in sourcing US dollars continuously delays crude oil, fuel, and LPG shipments, resulting in shortages. The shortages have resulted in a variety of complications.

• Powercuts
• Fuel shortage
• LP Gas shortage

Powercuts

Sri Lanka is currently experiencing the longest (at 7 hours and 30 minutes) power cuts ever experienced in the island nation. It is no secret that an uninterrupted power supply is vital for any industry.

Power cuts coupled with a fuel shortage has resulted in a wide variety of complications that are difficult to mitigate. I have seen tourists relax with no AC and eat in candlelit environments because of the lack of fuel for generators. In addition, many stores can't accept cards during these power cuts.

Fuel shortage

The island has been facing a severe fuel shortage for almost a week now. I believe the fuel crisis is a result of the power crisis in addition to the dollar crisis. First, the electricity crisis took the stage and funnelling diesel usage to power plants caused a fuel crisis. The result was mile-long queues and hours (sometimes days) of wait time to pump diesel.

The fuel shortage grounded many transport fleets. At one point, there was a concern if the trains would halt. Many tourists were in fuel queues to pump fuel to their bikes and three-wheelers as the pumps had gone dry.

Generators were useless during the power cuts because of the fuel shortages. The country almost came to a standstill.

This is a tourist who had to spend the day in van because it ran out of fuel.

LP Gas shortage

LPG (liquid petroleum gas) is instrumental in every kitchen in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is again facing an LP gas crisis due to the inability to source USD. People are in long queues to obtain gas cylinders, and many have to return in disappointment.

This time the limitation has affected businesses as well. Hotels, food outlets and even international franchises are out of gas or running out of gas.

Tourists don't come to Sri Lanka to fast. The government should at least prioritize available supplies to the tourism industry.

Conclusion

These are just the tip of the ice burg. In addition, there are milk ques, medicine queues and more. The cost of living is rising, and people are on edge. The country's future is concerning, and foreign exchange from tourism is vital to keep the economy afloat.

If you are planning to visit Sri Lanka, I recommend you look out for local news. The country is operating literally on a day-to-day basis. Even if the government source the dollars and ease the bottlenecks, it may be a matter of weeks before it repeats.

If you drop me an iMessage, WhatsApp or E-Mail, I will try to give you an insight into the situation.

Updates

UK Foreign Travel Advice
The economic situation is deteriorating in Sri Lanka with shortages of basic necessities including medicines, fuel and food because of a shortage of hard currency to pay for imports. There may be long queues at grocery stores, gas stations, and pharmacies. Local authorities may impose the rationing of electricity, resulting in power outages.
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/sri-lanka

Canada Travel Advisory
The economic situation is deteriorating in Sri Lanka. The crisis is leading to shortages of basic necessities including medicines, fuel and food. There may be long line-ups at grocery stores, gas stations, and pharmacies. Local authorities may impose the rationing of electricity, resulting in power outages.

The economic instability may also affect the delivery of public services, including healthcare.

Limited access to resources could also contribute to a further deterioration in the security environment.

• Keep supplies of food, water and fuel on hand in case of lengthy disruptions
• Make sure to have sufficient supply of medicines on hands as they may not be available
• Monitor local media for the latest on the situation

https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/sri-lanka