The city's major hotels have thrown open their doors to the visitors, offering all available bed-space and banquet and function rooms as temporary housing. Many Sri Lankan citizens have also come forward to host stranded tourists.

Colombo's main conference venue, the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conventions Centre (BMICH) has also been converted into a facility for accommodating the tourists, conducting medical checks and for processing travel documents for those who lost their passports.

The Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB), which is leading the emergency evacuation effort, has arranged a shuttle bus service from the city hotels and the BMICH to take people to the airport.

It is estimated that 6,000 foreign visitors were holidaying in the coastal areas affected by the Tsunami.

�Over the past 48-hours, and following a huge effort from the entire travel industry in Sri Lanka, we have evacuated most of the group-travel tourists safely to Colombo,� said the SLTB's Chairman, Mr. Udaya Nanayakkara.

�We are now concentrating on helping the Free-Independent-Travellers (FITs), putting them in touch with their individual embassies and providing transport from the coastal areas to Colombo�, he added.

�Regular shuttle buses will collect independent travelers at predetermined pick-up points. We have appealed over radio and television for local people to help take these visitors to the pick-up points.�

�In co-operation with the Foreign Office and the airlines the repatriation is proceeding very smoothly. Over the past 24 hours more than 1,000 people have left on scheduled flights and chartered aircraft. The Sri Lanka Tourist Board has also set up Help Desks and a special facility at the Taj Airport Gardens Hotel to assist travellers awaiting repatriation.

As many as eleven hotels in the southern coastal belt resumed operation today as generators were repaired to supply power. Of the 5,600 rooms in affected areas, about half are still out of operation.

Mr Nanayakkara said that initial reports indicated that only a few hotels suffered serious structural damage. While majority of hotels will be operational within the coming two weeks, those with serious structural damage are expected to be back in operation within the coming months.

(All media enquiries should be directed to the Sri Lanka Tourist Board on (9411) 243 7061 or dedicated media line (9411) 4740219)