Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister holds discussion with foreign envoys to promote Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has reportedly held a special discussion with over 100 foreign diplomats recently in a bid to promote Sri Lanka as a safe and secure destination for tourists.
The Minister has expressed confidence that the Sri Lankan government will be in a position to reopen the country entirely by September due to the ongoing accelerated vaccination drive.
During the virtual meeting with foreign diplomats, Ranatunga has said special airline packages will be introduced to tourists visiting the country and discussions in this regard have already begun with several airlines, whilst the national carrier — SriLankan Airlines – has already committed to launch a ‘buy-one-get-one free’ offer by next month, local media reports stated.
The Minister has noted that health guidelines are being relaxed further according to health authority recommendations.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has taken steps to identify 6,000 new tourist attractions and develop them into tourist hotspots.
Ranatunga has said his aim is to revive the industry to pre-Covis level and to attract more tourists.
While acknowledging the support of Sri Lankan Ambassadors, High Commissioners and officials of the foreign missions, the Minister has called on their assistance for these initiatives to be successful and to kick-start the most-impacted tourism industry in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando and SLTDA Director General Dhammika Wijayasinghe had also participated in the discussion.
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, the tourism industry is showing signs of recovery with an increase in the number of tourist arrivals in the past few months. Sri Lanka has been listed as a must visit destination by several leading global travel publications and the country’s airports have received internationally recognised safety and hygiene certifications. All these have resulted in Sri Lanka becoming a destination in post Covid travel. Sri Lanka is also fast becoming a business hub in the South Asian region. Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is therefore a potential business/investment opportunity in the country.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20210722/Z_2 |