One million tourists targeted this year

By L. S. A. Wedaarachchi

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The Tourist Industry, the fourth largest foreign exchange earner, targets one-million tourists this year.

India, UK, the Middle East and Russia have been identified as high potential tourist markets by the Ministry of Tourism.

Acting Minister of Tourism Faizer Mustapha told a delegation of Middle East businessmen and media personnel that special publicity campaigns have been already launched to capture those markets.

A Rs. 3,600 million project to improve tourist attractions in Negombo, Nuwara Eliya, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Kandy and Colombo will commence this month and it will be completed before 2012.

According to the Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism K. A. D. George Michael the Bank of Japan will arrange Yen 2,604 million for this project under the soft loan scheme and Rs. 600 million will be allocated by the government.

The Ministry of Tourism will get down 5,025, 000 Japanese tourists to Sri Lanka under the project.