Sri Lanka’s tourism pilot project brings in Rs. 420 million earnings
Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has reportedly stated that the pilot project of bringing leisure visitors from Ukraine that was launched on 28 December 2020 had generated a foreign exchange earning of Rs. 420 million.
Ukrainian International Airlines and charter carrier SkyUp have so far brought around 1,500 Ukrainians to spend short stays in isolated hotels and visits to select tourist sites adhering to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.
The Minister has disclosed the foreign exchange earnings figure during a media briefing on the planned reopening of borders and resumption of commercial flights and international tourism in Sri Lanka, according to Daily FT.
According to him, with learnings from the pilot exercise, the health and tourism authorities had come up with comprehensive guidelines to be followed by all travel and tourism stakeholders from 21 January onwards.
OSL take:
The earning of Rs. 420 million by Sri Lanka’s tourism industry through its nearly one month long pilot project prior to opening the country’s borders for tourists is a clear indication of travellers interest in visiting Sri Lanka. It also underscores the growth potential of the country’s tourism industry. Sri Lanka has been listed as a must visit destination by several leading global travel publications and the country receiving the safety and hygienic certification have placed the island at the top of travel destinations for post Covid 19 travel. Sri Lanka’s tourism industry was one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the country until the Covid 19 pandemic affected global travel. However, the latest developments indicate a quick rebound of the industry. Therefore foreign businesses/investors could explore opportunities in Sri Lanka’s expanding tourism industry.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20210121/Z_2 |