RECESSION in developed nations and recent bomb explosions in three Colombo hotels have cast a pall over Sri Lanka's tourist industry, but tourism officials and travel agents say it is only a temporary setback.
Arrivals, which increased in the first three months of 1994, saw a dip in April and May but should pick up during the rest of the year, they said.
''There were several cancellations as soon as the bombs went off (in April) but now the tourists are coming back. The bombs did not create a lasting impression,'' said Mahil Goonaratna, assistant director of the Ceylon Tourist Board.
In April, Tamil rebels fighting for a separate state in the north and east exploded three bombs in hotels, causing damage but no injuries. A fourth bomb exploded prematurely, killing the bomber.
A week later a Tamil group claimed responsibility and sent letters to tourist resorts threatening to kill foreign visitors.
Overall arrivals fell by 5.1 per cent in April and 2.6 per cent in May, after rising 8.8 per cent in March, 2.4 per cent in February and 6.3 per cent in January, compared with the same months in 1993, according to Tourist Board figures.
