Barmy Army face hotel shortage in Sri Lanka

England fans travelling to Sri Lanka this winter face a struggle finding accommodation for their trip. While Sri Lanka's battle with Tamil Tiger rebels usually discouraged tourists, the ongoing truce has caused problems for the authorities, who are bracing themselves for an invasion by the Barmy Army.

Sri Lankan officials said they were finding it difficult to find accommodation for the thousands of supporters who are expected to follow England on tour in November and December. A Sri Lankan official said, "there is a shortage of about 3,000 rooms. Hotels are overbooked and we have not encountered this sort of problem in decades."

In 1996, Australia and West Indies boycotted their World Cup qualifying matches in Sri Lanka for fear of attack, but the current ceasefire has encouraged tourists to visit. Tourism authorities and the Sri Lankan board have brought the shortage of rooms to the attention of Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Prime Minister, who has ordered state guest houses to be opened for fans. The board said it was also inviting private homes to offer rooms to paying guests in a bid to ease the pressure on hotel accommodation during the England tour.

The number of travellers going to Sri Lanka has increased by nearly 25% in the first six months of 2003 to around 216,000. G. L. Peiris, a government spokesman, said there had also been 23,000 new jobs created in the hospitality sector since the truce with the Tamil Tigers was established on February 23 last year.

Several hotels closed in July 2001 and others retrenched a large chunk of their staff after the Tiger rebels completely destroyed four Sri Lankan aircrafts parked at their only international airport. Two more airplanes were damaged by a team of suicide bombers. No travellers were hurt during the attack, but tourism took a major hit after the devastating guerrilla strike.

Hoteliers in Colombo say things are looking up again, with city hotels for the first time turning away customers who have no reservations. England are due to play three Tests and three one-day internationals on their tour of Sri Lanka, starting on November 18.