Sri Lanka sees Saudi Arabia as ‘important market’ to boost tourism industry

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Tourists visit the Blackwater pond in Mihintale near Anuradhapura on Feb. 11, 2023. (AFP)

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Updated 26 August 2024

Mohammed Rasooldeen

August 26, 2024 16:40

Sri Lanka sees Saudi Arabia as ‘important market’ to boost tourism industry

Newly announced visa exemption policy will also apply to Saudi tourists from October
Sri Lanka’s tourism offerings ‘align well’ with preferences of Saudi travelers, authorities say

Updated 26 August 2024

Mohammed Rasooldeen

August 26, 2024 16:40

COLOMBO: Saudi Arabia is an important market for Sri Lanka’s tourism, authorities said on Monday as the island nation seeks to attract and cater to more visitors from the Kingdom to further boost its hospitality sector.

Tourism has traditionally been one of Sri Lanka’s key sources of foreign reserves, earning around $4.4 billion in 2018 and contributing 5.6 percent to the gross domestic product. But this figure dropped to less than 1 percent in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic ground international travel to a halt.

Since then, Sri Lanka has launched several initiatives to revive its tourism industry, especially after the country sank deeper into its worst economic crisis in history. Its strategies include the Middle East among its top potential markets, as the sector pins hopes on Gulf countries and especially Saudi Arabia.

Last Thursday, the Sri Lankan government announced it was issuing free tourist visas to visitors from 35 countries, including Saudi Arabia, which authorities in Colombo said was one of the nation’s top potential markets.

“Saudi Arabia is an important source market for Sri Lanka … Sri Lanka would become a more attractive option compared to other destinations that still require visas for Saudi citizens. It could further increase the arrivals due to the convenience,” Sureshni Pilapitiya, assistant director at Sri Lanka’s Tourism Promotion Bureau, told Arab News.

Sri Lanka’s tourism offerings, including beautiful beaches, cultural experiences and nature reserves, “align well with the preferences of Saudi tourists,” she added.

“Sri Lanka has the potential to cater to the needs of Saudi tourists by offering halal-friendly services … The relatively short flight time between Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka makes it an attractive destination for both short vacations and extended stays.”

The spending power of Saudi visitors and their tendency to travel during off-peak seasons “can help Sri Lanka stabilize its tourism industry year-round,” Pilapitiya said.

With the newly announced visa-free policy also applicable for Saudi travelers from October onwards, Sri Lankan tourism players have grown more optimistic.
“The introduction of visa free-of-charge access is a game-changer for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. For markets like Saudi Arabia, which has tremendous potential, this move will undoubtedly lead to increased interest and arrivals,” Sabry Bahaudeen, president of the IATA Agents Association of Sri Lanka, told Arab News.

“We are optimistic that this will help us tap into the high-yield tourism segment that is crucial for the industry’s growth.”

Saudi Arabia represents a “potentially lucrative market for Sri Lanka,” he added.

“As a nation known for its high-spending travelers, the Saudi market aligns perfectly with Sri Lanka’s objective of attracting tourists who will contribute significantly to the local economy,” Bahaudeen said.

“With visa free-of-charge travel now in place, Sri Lanka hopes to see a surge in visitors from the Middle East, especially from Saudi Arabia.”

Kashmir votes in final round of regional polls as Modi promises statehood

Updated 9 min 12 sec ago

Sanjay Kumar

October 01, 2024 15:49

Kashmir votes in final round of regional polls as Modi promises statehood

Modi’s government scrapped Kashmir’s autonomy and statehood in 2019
He promised to restore it during election campaign in the region last month

Updated 9 min 12 sec ago

Sanjay Kumar

October 01, 2024 15:49

NEW DELHI: Voters in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir went to the polls on Tuesday in the final round of local elections, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to restore the region’s statehood.

Modi’s government brought Kashmir under New Delhi’s direct control in 2019, after it repealed Article 370 of the Constitution — which granted the region its semi-autonomy — and downgraded it from a state to a federally administrated territory.

The three-phase polls that started last month are the first in this political setting.

The election has been held in three stages from Sept. 18 to choose a 90-member local assembly. The result will be announced next week.

Over 9 million Kashmiris were registered to vote. In the first phase, the turnout was over 61 percent, and in the second, 57 percent — relatively high for the region traditionally known for boycotting elections.

“The motivation is that the people want their statehood back,” Subhash Chandra Sharma, and advocate in Jammu, which was the last area to cast ballot votes, told Arab News.

“There is a strong resentment among the people that Article 370 was wrongly abrogated. Jammu people are feeling the pinch of losing the special constitutional status.”

Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir is part of the larger Kashmiri territory, which has been the subject of international dispute since the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan.

Both countries claim Kashmir in full and rule in part. The Indian-controlled region is predominantly Muslim and has for decades witnessed outbreaks of separatist insurgencies to resist control from the government in New Delhi.

After the scrapping of Kashmir’s autonomy and statehood, a series of administrative changes followed, with the Indian government removing protections on land and jobs for the local population, which many likened to attempts at demographically altering the region.

The promise to restore the statehood was given by Modi last month as he visited Kashmir’s main city, Srinagar, to campaign for his party in the local election. He said he has pledged in parliament that “Jammu and Kashmir will again be a state” and that only his Bharatiya Janata Party “will fulfill this commitment.”

Kashmir has been without a local government since 2018 when Modi’s Hindu-nationalist party brought down a coalition government elected in 2014, forcing the assembly to dissolve.

“So far, as the voting is concerned, I feel the BJP will not perform well in the Kashmir region and even in the Hindu-dominated Jammu region their performance would go down,” Sharma said.

Qazi Insha Shakeel, a homemaker, also from Jammu, said that people “feel the loss” of their region’s special status and statehood.

“If we elect our leader, then that leader without power would be meaningless,” she told Arab News. “Statehood is important to restore the power of the elected representatives so that they can address our grievances.”

For others, like Aijaz Ahmad, a business professional from Srinagar, the election also meant a chance for the regain part of its agency.

“(To) vote is the only option for us to save our dignity,” he said.

“Without statehood, our elected representatives are powerless, and this election will hold no meaning.”

Topics: Kashmir Elections in Kashmir Indian Occupied Kashmir

Anger in Nepal over relief delays as flood toll hits 218

Updated 01 October 2024

AFP

October 01, 2024 09:31

Anger in Nepal over relief delays as flood toll hits 218

Deadly floods and landslides are common across South Asia during the monsoon season
More than 300 people have been killed in rain-related disasters in Nepal this year

Updated 01 October 2024

AFP

October 01, 2024 09:31

KAVRE, Nepal: Survivors of the monsoon floods that ravaged Nepal at the weekend criticized the government on Tuesday for inadequate relief efforts during a disaster that killed at least 218 people.
Deadly floods and landslides are common across South Asia during the monsoon season from June to September but experts say climate change is making them worse.
Entire neighborhoods in the capital Katmandu were inundated at the weekend, along with villages in remote pockets of the Himalayan country that were still awaiting relief efforts.
“There is no road, so no one has come,” Mira KC, who lives in a village in Kavre district to Katmandu’s east, said.
“Even if they do, those who died are dead already and the damage is done. All they will do is offer condolences, what will they do?”
The floods disproportionately hit Katmandu’s poorest residents living in haphazard slums along the banks of the Bagmati river and its tributaries, which run through the city.
Slum resident Man Kumar Rana Magar, 49, said that authorities had provided shelter for him and his neighbors at a school after their homes were inundated.
However, he said they had been forced to leave before they were ready to return to their homes when the school reopened for classes.
“We are so close to the seat of the government. If they cannot take care of the poor this close, what will they do about others?” he said.
At least 218 people were killed in the floods, with another 27 still missing, according to Nepal’s home ministry. More than 4,000 others were rescued.
Nepal’s weather bureau said preliminary data showed 240 millimeters (9.4 inches) of rain fell in the 24 hours to Saturday morning, the biggest single-day downpour in more than two decades.
Experts said authorities did not prepare adequately for the disaster despite forecasts of intense storms.
“Precautions that should have been taken were ignored,” climate expert Arun Bhakta Shrestha, of Katmandu-based think tank International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, said.
Nepali disaster management expert Man Bahadur Thapa said gaps in coordination and resources had also hindered the rescue process.
“We could have saved a lot more lives if we prepared and built the capacity of our responders,” he said.
Home ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari said authorities had been “working relentlessly since the disaster began and all our resources are at work.”
Monsoon rains bring widespread death and destruction in the form of floods and landslides across South Asia every year.
Experts say climate change has worsened their frequency and intensity.
More than 300 people have been killed in rain-related disasters in Nepal this year.

Topics: nepal

Rutte dismisses Trump fears as he takes reins at NATO

Updated 01 October 2024

AFP

October 01, 2024 08:21

Rutte dismisses Trump fears as he takes reins at NATO

NATO, whose members have supplied 99 percent of all foreign weaponry to Ukraine, agreed at a summit in July to play a bigger role in delivering those arms

Updated 01 October 2024

AFP

October 01, 2024 08:21

BRUSSELS: NATO’s new chief Mark Rutte on Tuesday downplayed fears over the impact of a potential Donald Trump victory in upcoming US elections and pledged to keep backing Ukraine, as he assumed leadership of the world’s most powerful military alliance.
The former Dutch prime minister steps into the role at a pivotal moment, as Russia presses its war in Ukraine and China flexes its growing might — and just weeks before voters in the United States head to the polls.
Rutte on Tuesday took over the alliance from Norway’s Jen Stoltenberg, who has guided NATO through one of its most tumultuous decades.
The outcome of the November 5 vote is set to be the straight-talking 57-year-old’s first major test — and will shape his initial four-year term at the helm.
On the campaign trail, former president Trump has threatened not to protect NATO members who do not spend enough on defense and promised he can cut a quick deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
“I’m not worried. I know both candidates very well. I worked for four years with Donald Trump. He was the one pushing us to spend more, and he achieved,” Rutte said ahead of a formal handover ceremony.
“I will be able to work with both whatever is the outcome of the elections.”
In opting for the veteran Dutch statesman, a staunch US ally and stalwart backer of Ukraine, NATO’s 32 nations have picked a leader expected to keep pushing support for Kyiv and efforts to bolster the alliance’s own defenses in the face of Russia.
“NATO will be in safe hands with you at the helm,” Stoltenberg said.
Rutte listed backing Kyiv as among his top priorities — along with ensuring NATO keeps on spending more on defense, and bolstering ties with partners in the Asia Pacific.
“We have to make sure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation,” he told journalists.
But uncertainty over future Western support for Ukraine comes as Russian forces advance on the battlefield more than three-and-a-half years after the Kremlin’s all-out invasion.
NATO, whose members have supplied 99 percent of all foreign weaponry to Ukraine, agreed at a summit in July to play a bigger role in delivering those arms and Rutte will be key in stewarding support.

Another central task for Rutte will be to keep pushing NATO members to spend more on their militaries to counter any potential menace from Moscow.
Spurred on by the war in Ukraine — and pressure from Washington — European countries have already ratcheted up defense spending.
This year, 23 countries are set to reach NATO’s target of spending two percent of gross domestic product on their militaries.
But with the threat from Russia expected to last for years — whatever the outcome in Ukraine — there is a clear understanding that more will be needed.
“We have to spend more. We have to increase our collective defense,” Rutte said.
That could prove a tough sell for Rutte — who only saw the Netherlands reach the two-percent goal in his fourteenth, and final year, in office.
Even if he wanted to change NATO’s direction, Rutte would likely struggle to shake up an alliance based on careful consensus between its members.
Stoltenberg, whose mandate was extended three times, trod a careful balancing act as NATO emerged reenergized in the face of Russia’s aggression.
And the former Norwegian premier has told his successor that the greatest challenge he faces is keeping all of NATO’s sometimes truculent leaders on the same page.
“One thing will not change, and that is NATO’s core mission, and that is to make sure that we defend our people, our nations, and, Of course, our values,” Rutte said.

Topics: NATO

School bus catches fire outside Bangkok and 25 on board are feared dead, government officials say

Updated 01 October 2024

October 01, 2024 07:30

School bus catches fire outside Bangkok and 25 on board are feared dead, government officials say

Updated 01 October 2024

October 01, 2024 07:30

BANGKOK: A bus carrying young students with their teachers caught fire in suburban Bangkok on Tuesday with 25 of those on board feared dead, according to officials and rescuers.
The bus was carrying 44 passengers from central Uthai Thani province to Ayutthaya for a school trip when the fire started around noon in Pathum Thani province, a northern suburb of the capital, Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungruengkit told reporters at the scene.
Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said officials could not yet confirm the number of fatalities as they have not finished investigating the scene, but based on the number of survivors, he said 25 people are feared dead. He also said the bus was still too hot for them to get inside safely.
Bodes were still inside the bus hours after the fire.
Videos posted on social media showed the entire bus being engulfed in fire with huge plumes of black smoke pouring out as it was parked on the road.
The age and other details about the students were not yet known.
A rescuer at the scene told Suriya that the fire likely started after one of the tires exploded and the vehicle scraped against a road barrier.
Rescue group Hongsakul Khlong Luang 21 posted on its Facebook page that they found at least 10 bodies on the bus.

Topics: Thailand fire bus School

Taiwan warns of storm surge from powerful Typhoon Krathon, mobilizes troops

Updated 01 October 2024

Reuters

October 01, 2024 06:37

Taiwan warns of storm surge from powerful Typhoon Krathon, mobilizes troops

As the typhoon approached, helicopters lifted to safety 13 of 19 sailors forced to abandon ship when it took on water
Taiwan regularly gets hit by typhoons but they generally land along the mountainous and sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific

Updated 01 October 2024

Reuters

October 01, 2024 06:37

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan: Taiwan mobilized nearly 40,000 troops on Tuesday to be on standby for rescue efforts as powerful Typhoon Krathon approached its populous southwest coast, which is bracing for a storm surge.
As the typhoon approached, helicopters lifted to safety 13 of 19 sailors forced to abandon ship when it took on water.
Some flights were canceled, a rail line was closed and in the major port city of Kaohsiung, shops and restaurants shut and streets were mostly deserted.
Taiwan regularly gets hit by typhoons but they generally land along the mountainous and sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific, but this one will make landfall on the island’s flat western plain.
Krathon is forecast to hit Kaohsiung early on Wednesday afternoon, then work its way across the center of Taiwan heading northeast and cross out into the East China Sea, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
Kaohsiung, home to some 2.7 million people, declared a holiday and told people to stay at home as Krathon — labelled a super typhoon by the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center — approached.
Li Meng-hsiang, a forecaster for Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration, said the storm has reached its maximum intensity and could weaken slightly as it moves closer to Taiwan, warning of gusts of more than 150 kph (93 mph) for the southwest.
“The storm surge might bring tides inland,” Li said. “If it’s raining heavily it will make it difficult to discharge waters and as a result coastal areas will be subject to flooding.”
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, speaking to reporters after a disaster management meeting, said the strength and path of the storm were both on par with 1977’s Typhoon Thelma which killed 37 people and devastated the city.
“After the typhoon, the whole of Kaohsiung was without water and electricity, just like a war,” Chen said, recalling the decades-ago destruction. “As much as possible, limit going out.”
Taiwan’s defense ministry said it had put more than 38,000 troops on standby, as Kaohsiung residents made their own preparations.
“It’s going to strike us directly. We must be fully prepared,” said fisherman Chen Ming-huang, as he tightened ropes on his boat in Kaohsiung harbor. “In the worst-case scenario the ropes might snap and my boat could drift away.”
TSMC, the world’s largest contract chip maker and a major supplier to Apple and Nvidia and which has a large factory in neighboring Tainan, said it had activated routine typhoon preparations and did not expect a significant impact to its operations.
SEARCH FOR SAILORS
Off the southeast coast, Taiwan rescue helicopters lifted to safety 13 out of 19 sailors from a listing cargo vessel traveling from China to Singapore, with efforts continuing to get to the remaining six, the government said.
The transport ministry said 88 domestic flights and 24 international ones had been canceled, with boats to outlying islands also stopped. It added that all domestic flights — 234 in total — would stop on Wednesday.
The rail line connecting southern to eastern Taiwan was closed, though the north-south high speed line was operating as normal, albeit with enhanced safety checks for wind and debris.
In Kaohsiung, most shops and restaurants pulled down their shutters, and traditional wet markets shut with streets mostly deserted.
At a building in Siaogang district, home to the city’s airport, residents practiced how to rapidly set up metal barriers to stop water flooding into the underground parking lot.
“We will have only a few minutes to react if the flooding is coming,” said Chiu Yun-ping, deputy head of the building’s residents’ committee.
Chen Mei-ling, who lives near the harbor, said in past typhoons high tides reached just a few meters (yards) from her house’s main door and she had made preparations.
“We’ve got torches and emergency food supplies,” Chen said. “It’s a strong typhoon and we are worried.”

Topics: weather Taiwan

Sri Lanka sees Saudi Arabia as ‘important market’ to boost tourism industry

Sri Lanka sees Saudi Arabia as ‘important market’ to boost tourism industry

Sri Lanka announces visa-free entry to Saudi nationals from Oct. 1

Sri Lanka’s Muslims host interfaith iftar to ‘build bridges’ between communities

Kashmir votes in final round of regional polls as Modi promises statehood

Kashmir votes in final round of regional polls as Modi promises statehood

Anger in Nepal over relief delays as flood toll hits 218

Anger in Nepal over relief delays as flood toll hits 218

Flooding deaths in Nepal reach 193 as recovery work is stepped up

Nepal closes schools as deaths from heavy rains hit 151

Rutte dismisses Trump fears as he takes reins at NATO

Rutte dismisses Trump fears as he takes reins at NATO

School bus catches fire outside Bangkok and 25 on board are feared dead, government officials say

School bus catches fire outside Bangkok and 25 on board are feared dead, government officials say

Seven-year-old Indian boy killed in ritual sacrifice for school’s ‘good fortune’

Gaza rescuers say Israeli strike on school shelter kills 7

Taiwan warns of storm surge from powerful Typhoon Krathon, mobilizes troops

Taiwan warns of storm surge from powerful Typhoon Krathon, mobilizes troops

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Sri Lanka sees Saudi Arabia as ‘important market’ to boost tourism industry

Sri Lanka sees Saudi Arabia as ‘important market’ to boost tourism industry

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Kashmir votes in final round of regional polls as Modi promises statehood

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Taiwan warns of storm surge from powerful Typhoon Krathon, mobilizes troops

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