Sri Lanka will celebrate its 63rd Independence Day tomorrow. This is the second Independence Day in a terrorism-free country. The event marks not only the defeat of the nearly 133 years of British rule, but also the remarkable sense of living in a truly peaceful country.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has accepted that tourism is a vital area and has identified this sector as the effectively capable driving force for the country’s socio economic development. Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa has vowed ‘to take every possible effort to turn the tourism industry into the highest foreign income earner of the country’.
With this backdrop, former Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Insurance, Dr Nalaka Godahewa has taken over the responsibility as the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman to make “Sri Lanka’s golden beaches a major tourist attraction for the real sun seeker”.
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau, which has launched the “Visit Sri Lanka 2011”, aims to attract over 700,000 tourists this year, with 12-themed events spread across the year, while the government expects a target of 2.5 million tourists by 2016. Twelve themes will be promoted during each month this year, symbolising the 12 letters in “Wonder of Asia”. These 12 themes include beaches, sports and adventure, MICE, people and culture, religious tourism, weddings and honeymoons, body and mind wellness, heritage, nature and wildlife, community and education, culinary and shopping and entertainment.
Sri Lanka Tourism also plans to get the involvement and the support of the domestic tourism market to develop these products by the end of this year. With the help of the locals, the idea is to create a safe and beautiful environment to the visiting tourist. Sri Lanka was earlier known as a beach destination. However with the events planned for this year and the products created surrounding the events and themes, the intention is to highlight the various products that could cater to different market segments the world over.
For a small island the tourist sites in Sri Lanka is limitless. It is always advisable to contact a travel guide before visiting places because there are different activities available during different times. One good example is the Kandy pageant which is held once a year. Visiting Kandy during this festival is a great experience.
- Peninsula On-line