Sri Lanka faces room crunch

Sri Lanka?s room crunch highlights the return of tourist interest in the destination, which had been plagued with ethnic conflict for decades.

Most resort and city hotels in the country are averaging 90 per cent occupancy, all the way until May 1. Several new hotel projects  have been given the greenlight to alleviate the situation and existing properties are refurbishing during the summer months, with the hope of presenting a standardised product for the 2010/2011 winter season.

With the country forging a lasting peace last year, the tourism industry is slowly regaining its footing. Sri Lanka Tourism launched the Visit Sri Lanka 2011 marketing campaign last November and already reaped in the rewards with January 2010 registering a 32 per cent increase in visitors.