Lanka gears up for heavy tourist arrivals

by Ananda KANNANGARA

The new Tourism Minister Achala Jagoda, on Friday, predicted the country's annual tourist arrivals too increase from 500,000 to 2.5 million by the year 2016.

He said with the dawn of peace in the country after three decades, Sri Lanka is targeting heavy tourist arrivals from January next year.

Minister Jagoda made these observations at a media briefing held in Colombo on Friday. Over 200 media personnel attended the new Tourism Minister's inaugural press briefing. He said tourist arrivals in the country declined during the past 30 years due to uncertain security conditions that prevailed in the North and the East and also in the Southern Province.

Minister Jagoda also said with heavy tourist arrivals in the coming years, Sri Lanka needs to construct over 50,000 additional hotel rooms to meet future demands.

He also focused attention on conducting international sporting events, exhibitions, conferences, fashion shows and various other entertainment programs in Sri Lanka to attract more tourists. Tourism Ministry, Additional Secretary B.M.U.D. Basnayake said for the first time, Sri Lanka Tourism will establish tourist villages in the picturesque beaches of Kalpitiya, Nilaweli, Pasikuda, Arugam Bay and Kuchchaveli in the Eastern Province.

He also said the Tourism Ministry will launch massive hotel construction projects at selected locations in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, commencing next year, to accommodate over 100,000 foreign tourists.

"In addition, several tour group operators have already pledged their consent to reactivate operations between the South and the North," he said.

He said a team of officials was sent to the Northern and Eastern regions to identify suitable locations to construct hotels and also to look into the development of cities to attract tourists.

Quoting statistics, Basnayake said the arrival of tourists to Sri Lanka from countries such as the UK, the USA, France, the Maldives, Germany, Japan, Russia, China and Australia will be doubled during the forthcoming season.