Sri Lanka targets 2.5 million tourist arrivals this year following revision of travel advisories
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga has said the country is targeting at least 2.5 million tourists this year after several countries eased their travel advisories on Sri Lanka.
Several countries issued travel advisories on Sri Lanka following the Easter Sunday attacks and have now relaxed them since the country has returned to normalcy.
Minister Amaratunga has told the Chinese news agency Xinhua that China is the first country to ease their travel advisory and Sri Lanka is expecting a strong increase in Chinese tourists from this month.
According to the Minister, Sri Lanka is now a safe destination for travel after security forces apprehended at least 98 percent of suspects who were, directly and indirectly, involved in the Easter Sunday terror attacks.
He has noted that security forces have ensured that further attacks and a radical uprising of this nature will not happen, and Sri Lankans can go back to their normal lives.
“After the terrorist attacks, China and several other countries issued a travel advisory asking travelers not to travel here. This is understandable,” Amaratunga has told Xinhua.
“Last week, I met the Chinese ambassador and assured him that Sri Lanka is a safe destination. I thank China, as they were the first country to ease the travel advisory and this will immensely benefit Sri Lanka tourism,” he has added.
China has been one of the largest markets for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry with over 270,000 Chinese tourists visiting Sri Lanka last year, the Minister has said.
OSL take:
As stated by the Tourism Development Minister of Sri Lanka, the country’s tourism sector is already showing signs of returning to normalcy following the Easter Sunday attacks. Many countries have relaxed travel advisories issued on Sri Lanka. This has encouraged tourists to return to the country. Also, visits by foreign dignitaries to the country have further boosted confidence among tourists. Therefore foreign businesses/investors could explore business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism sector.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/17062019/Z_1 |