Sri Lankan government sets up inter ministry joint programme to woo tourists
The government of Sri Lanka is reportedly preparing an inter-ministry joint programme to attract more tourists to the country.
The proposed special initiative is to be implemented jointly by Sri Lanka’s Ministries of Tourism, Foreign Affairs, Wildlife, Trade, Archaeology and National Heritage and their affiliates.
The country’s Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has reportedly said that the objective of the collective initiative was to effectively promote Sri Lanka as an attractive tourist destination among international travellers.
He has made these observations at a special discussion on the steps to be taken to make Sri Lanka an attractive tourist destination with members of the Foreign Missions and representatives of the Department of Commerce.
Members of the foreign missions and commercial officials had pointed out that stringent and outdated health protocols were an issue to attract tourists, adding that most of the competing tourism destinations have eased rules.
Ranatunga has said that the matter had been taken up with the Health Ministry and it would be addressed in the immediate future.
The need to promote Sri Lanka as a holistic tourism destination instead of promoting services and tourist hotspots separately was also discussed at the meeting.
The Tourism Ministry had also paid special attention to providing the necessary background scenes for the film industry, to hold foreign weddings in Sri Lanka and to uplift MICE tourism opportunities in the country.
Sri Lanka’s Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena has said the local Ayurvedic medical system, sceneries for the film industry, and manufacturing organic products, as well as the production capacity of local products, would be increased and if proper awareness could be created to attract tourists.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry was one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the country when the global Covid 19 pandemic brought about global travel restrictions. However, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is once again on the path to recovery given the steady growth in tourist arrivals to the country. Sri Lanka’s tourism authorities have also launched a massive promotional campaign to boost the tourism industry in all key foreign tourism source markets. Sri Lanka has been listed as a must visit destination by several leading global travel publications and has also slotted in among the Top 10 island destinations. Also, the receipt of the internationally recognised safety and hygiene certification by Sri Lanka’s airports have made the island an attractive post Covid travel destination. Foreign businesses/investors could explore the growing business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/04112021/Z_4 |