Tourist making a purchase |
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The Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) and Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism (ASMET), said in a joint statement that there has been considerable focus on tourism in the latest Budget compared to previous years where it was given only ‘a passing mention’.
Two weeks back the industry met the President and other officials of the Central Bank and Ministry of Finance where the industry was able to highlight some aspects of the industry, the statement said.
They include; though the industry employs only about 65,000 people directly, it has perhaps the largest trickledown effect to a very large informal sector and accordingly some 900,000 are in one way or another affected by tourism; the industry is on its knees now, requiring urgent support to survive; and tourism is a ‘Front End’ industry, which gets ‘hit’ the first, but has the ability of bouncing back at short notice given the correct conditions.
The associations said the various items of relief provided in the Budget will greatly help the industry tide over the present crisis. |
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