Sri Lanka on track to reach 2.5 mln tourist arrivals in 2016
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Sri Lanka is optimistic of reaching a year-end target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals with a million scheduled to arrive in the period September to December 2016. Figures up to August released by the Sri Lanka Tourism and Development Authority (SLTDA) on Tuesday showed 1.5 million tourist arrivals since January. Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga said he was confident that Sri Lanka will reach the target of 2.5 million tourists by the end of this year.
Last week the SLTDA together with the industry stakeholders organised World Tourism Day celebrations at the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management in Colombo where Sri Lanka Tourism launched the ’50 best tourism experiences in Sri Lanka’ plan. Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Amaratunga said while it is impossible to experience all 50 best attractions on a single visit to Sri Lanka, this is an attractive method of ensuring multiple visits over a period of time.
He also noted that Sri Lanka will be hosting the ‘Annual French Congress’ in Colombo this month which is a massive boost for the tourism industry. Nearly 500 top travel agents from France will meet in Sri Lanka to discuss their plans for the years ahead. Speaking on benefits of tourism filtering down to the grassroot levels, he said: “It is important that just as much as five-star hotels enjoy the benefits of the rising tourist arrivals, so must the street sellers and the tuk-tuk drivers as well. Only then we can reach the full benefit of the tourism industry”. (RM)