After a series of fatal explosions ripped through cities across Sri Lanka, Chinese travel agencies and state-owned enterprises (SOE) immediately activated emergency response mechanisms to enhance security and participate in the rescue operation, according to China's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC).
China National Travel Service Group confirmed the safety of all its customers in Sri Lanka and maintained communications to certain sectors, said the official WeChat account of the SASAC on Monday.
Branches of SOEs in Sri Lanka such as China General Technology, China State Construction and China Railway 25th Bureau Group have taken measures to strengthen employees' security and help with rescue work, SASAC noted.
As one of the hot destinations for Chinese tourists, Sri Lanka will suffer short-run setbacks, said industry insiders. Two Chinese nationals were confirmed killed in the blasts, according to the Chinese Embassy in Colombo on Sunday.
The death toll of the blasts has risen to 290 and more than 500 were wounded, according to Sri Lankan officials.
"Heartbreaking as it is, we still have to remove all tourism services to Sri Lanka from our platform," a tourism industry employee told the Global Times on Monday. "Possible plans for booked tours to Sri Lanka are under discussion to compensate customers, and they will have several choices."
Some Chinese airlines, including China Eastern, China Southern Airlines and Air China, said they will offer ticket changes and refunds for free, and the first flights from Sri Lanka back to China arrived on Monday morning.
Many Chinese tourists said they will plan trips to Sri Lanka after the country restores safety and order.
"There are always smiling faces when you first see Sri Lankans and the country is absolutely one of the most worthwhile countries to visit," Guo Long, a tourist who had visited Sri Lanka, told the Global Times on Monday.
"There's one time we got stuck in a place, a local people invited us for a meal and helped us rent a car, and the friendliness really impressed me a lot," Bai Siming, who volunteered in Sri Lanka for three months, told the Global Times on Monday.
Bai said she looked forward to a second visit after Sri Lanka recovers.
