Fernando Lucas Martins

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Sri Lanka Easter Sunday suicide bombings killed More Than 250 People - and threatened to wreck the country's tourism industry. But , five months on, there is hope on the horizon, reports the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan in Colombo.

Mary Fernando has been selling clothes to tourists for More Than 30 years on the Negombo beach in the vicinity of the capital of Sri Lanka .

Wear small cotton bags filled with clothes, Mrs Fernando will move by a group of tourists trying to convince them to buy, scarves, casual wear and swimwear.

she is among the dozens of local women, the shops along The Beach , which is dotted with resorts and hotels. Their earnings support their Families and visiting foreigners are their main customers.

But The Tourists stayed away from Sri Lanka since Easter Sunday , when a group of local Islamist extremists targeted high-end hotels and churches in Colombo and in The East of the country.

Among the death victims in the suicide-bomb attacks, were 42 foreign nationals. In The Weeks That followed, tourist arrivals fell by up to 70%.

"There are fewer tourists Now . My Income has gone down by two-thirds. It is a struggle to sell, even $20 worth of clothes Now . I hope That The Tourists will return soon", says Ms. Fernando .

Mary Fernando , you support your family with your Income , But it is based on tourists.

The effect was devastating: her husband is A Fisherman , and in The Four or five months of the year, if he can't work, because The Sea is rough, it is the wife of Fernando Income to support The Family .

Sri Lanka 's economic recovery since may 2009, rebels is a remarkable good news is That after almost three decades of Civil War between the army and the separatist Tamil tigers.

The rest was, thanks in large part to the Land of silver sandy beaches, high country, wildlife and cultural heritage.

hotels and Resorts are mushrooming along the coast and other tourist hotspots, create tens of thousands of jobs.

in The Past year, the one That led The Island state to record 2. 2 million visitors, earning, Sri Lanka is about $4. 4bn (£3. 5 billion). It was named as The World 's top travel destination in the year 2019 by the Lonely Planet guide.

So, when the Bomber struck on Easter Sunday , it was a bolt from The Blue . The images of carnage and grief were broadcast around The World , in many countries, travel warnings are issued to warn their citizens to stay away from Sri Lanka . Foreign tourists cancelled visits in droves.

The Hotel industry and its employees were among those who were the most in the recession: it is estimated That thousands of workers are either dismissed or their temporary contracts are not renewed.

Jilan Rajitha, of the South-Western beach town of Bentota, had worked in a nearby hotel for the last three years. Suddenly, his life Changed .

Jilan Rajitha was one of dozens who lost their jobs in The Hotel where he

worked"I lost my job after the Easter Sunday bomb attack. There was a sudden cancellation and 50 of us lost our jobs in our hotel. I'm trying to make a living by offering some Surf classes. But - as you can See , there are not many tourists," says Mr Rajitha, on Bentota picturesque beach.

It was almost deserted, with only a couple of visitors, Jogging and walking along the Golden Sand.

But it's not just the hotels and their employees who suffered. Travel guides, restaurant workers and travel companies were also hit by The Massive slump.

However, The Situation is gradually improving, five months after the bombings.

The travel warnings were withdrawn, and Sri Lanka lifted The State of emergency. Recognize the great danger of the tourism industry, the government has taken some measures to support it.

Sri Lanka wildlife and the beautiful landscape Made it a tourist haven

"Hoteliers, you have a capital loan need not pay both principal and interest payment for a year. New loan at a low interest rate for working capital," says Upali Ratnayake, Director General of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.

He says the staff at The Hotel , the loans were also a grace period to reimburse them.

To attract more tourists, the government is also on the visa-waived fees for visitors from More Than 40 countries.

has The largest incentive to massive discounts offered by various hotel. Some have huge as much as 50% off their original prices, promotion winter bookings.

"you know, the previous experiences from other countries showed That we might take to recover from Nine Months to a year. But , thank God, maybe we are the recovery much faster," says Hiran Cooray of the Jet-Wing group, which operates a chain of hotels and resorts in Sri Lanka .

"Our hotels are 50%-60% utilization are Now - which includes both Sri Lankan and foreign tourists. "

The Beaches are not as busy as they were once

in fact, the latest figures show That , although the tourism arrivals recorded in the fifth month, in August, to about 28% in the previous year, the visitor numbers have been rising since may.

The question Now is, can this be maintained?

Sri Lanka is preparing for the presidential elections in November That could See the Political Parties , the voters polarize along religious or ethnic lines. After the Easter bombings, the Muslims and their shops were attacked, in many parts of the country and the Buddhist hard-liners hate were accused of against them.

Each repetition of the tensions could deter tourists.

And Then there are still doubts as to whether The Authorities have eliminated all of those, the behind-the-Easter-attacks. More Than 70 People believed to have been arrested to be associated with the radicals, although not everyone is convinced the networks have been completely dismantled.

The government insists The Situation is Now peaceful, and to visit Sri Lanka again. But The Challenge remains to convince People around The World That violence is a thing of The Past .

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Source of news: bbc.com