Lanka seeks more tourists from China, S Arabia

Sri Lanka plans to invite 300 Chinese tour operators on a familiarisation tour of the island, according to the Tourism Promotion Bureau. The proposed visit is backed by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development.

Chairman of the Commission Song Yu assured his support to send 300 Chinese tour operators to Sri Lanka, when he met Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Bhashwara Gunarathna in Beijing recently. The move is part of Sri Lanka's efforts to attract 250,000 Chinese visitors by 2016. The number of Chinese visitors arriving in the island is around 25,000 per year at present.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Mission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia conducted a promotional campaign in the city to promote the island to the travellers from the Middle Eastern nation.

The event at the Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh was jointly organised by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and SriLankan Airlines. More than 15 Lankan travel agents and hoteliers took part in the promotional campaign. Similar campaigns have already taken place in Jeddah and Dammam.

Sri Lanka's envoy in Saudi, Vadivel Krishnamoorthy said the country plans to attract 40,000 tourists annually from Saudi Arabia by 2016. The current number of arrivals from Saudi Arabia in Sri Lanka is nearly 19,000 per year.