2011 – Sri Lanka Tourism Year

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2011 – Sri Lanka Tourism Year


Friday, 05 November 2010
In conjunction with President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second swearing-in, the Sri Lanka Tourist Development Authority has planned to launch 2011 as Tourism Year, with each month devoted to promote each category of tourism product available in the country. The Sri Lanka Tourist Development Authority anticipates to increase the number of tourist arrival to 700,000 next year as a result of this new launch.
The 12 tourism products to be promoted each month are Heritage tourism, Nature and Wild Life Tourism, People and Culture Tourism, Sports and Adventure tourism, MICE (Meetings, Conferences and Exhibitions) tourism, Weddings and Honeymoons tourism, Shopping and Entertainment tourism, Health tourism including promotion of Ayurvedic and modern health facilities, Pilgrimmage tourism, Community tourism which will include agri-tourism as well, Culinary tourism, and Beaches and beach-related tourism. Under the Community tourism, the tourists will be afforded the facility of staying in Sri Lankan homes. The Managing Director of the Sri Lanka Tourist Development Authority Mr. Malraj Kiriella said that tourist arrivals showed a steady increase in the month of October with a 40% increase, and by end of October, the tourist arrivals amounted to 450,000. The SLTDA expects that tourist arrivals by end this year will amount to 600,000.With the target of getting 2.5 Million tourists by 2016, the SLTDA has made arrangements to increase the room capacity in Sri Lanka from the present level of 15,000 rooms to 40,000 by 2016. Presently there are several hotel and resort construction projects being undertaken all over the country, and due to these on-going projects 4,000 rooms will be built in Kalpitiya, 2,000 rooms in Passikudah, 1,000 in Kutchaveli, 1,000 in the North and 2,000 in the Colombo City itself.(niz).