Major tourism promotion drive launched

by L. S. Ananda WEDAARACHCHI

A major tourism promotion drive concentrating on the middle Eastern, South Asian and Far Eastern regions has been launched under the direction of Tourism Minister, Nandana Gunatileka.

The Minister said this drive was a part of achieving President Mahinda Rajapaksa's 2016 goal of getting down 2.5 million tourists to Sri Lanka.

The Minister said that he was undertaking a dual-purpose program of bringing more tourists to the country in the prevailing peaceful environment and also upgrading what he described as the deteriorated condition of the rest houses and hotels, in the wake of this promotional drive. Most rest house and hotel toilets, rooms and environment leave much to be desired; without the best facilities, tourism cannot thrive.

'Facilities have to be hundred per cent upto the mark" said Minister Gunatileka.

To address these shortcomings, the Minister said he would be appointing a committee to look into the state of the hotels and rest houses that were earlier under the Hotels Corporation and are now privatised.

The Minister who returned to the island after completing a successful promotional tour in Japan said that he had a series of discussions with higher level officials of the Japanese government, Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), Japan's government tourism agency and the Sri Lankan community in Japan.

An advisory committee including leading Japanese nationals and Sri Lankans living in Japan and an honorary director for tourism promotion in Japan, based in the Chiba province, was appointed, he said.

The Minister said that he and B. K. G. Saman Priyankara, who was appointed as the Honorary Director Promotions, met the ex-prime minister of Japan, A. Fukuda and other leading personalities.

He also said that a Tourism Week from September 27 to October 4 was declared by the Tourism Ministry to mark the World Tourism Day which falls today, September 27.

During the week, a series of programs organised by the Tourism Ministry, provincial authorities and travel organisations will be implemented, to create public awareness about keeping their surroundings clean and neat, in order to boost tourism, he said.

He said important tourist areas such as Negombo, Mount Lavinia, Panadura, Bentota, Hikkaduwa, Matara, Weligama, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Pasikuda and Kurunagala had been selected to implement special cultural programs and other programs to attract tourists.