Sri Lanka is on the verge of achieving the tourist arrival of One Million set for this year. It is expected to achieve this target within the next two days. This year was a very bright period for the tourism industry in the country. This achievement has been made despite global economic crisis and anti-Sri Lankan propaganda carried out by the Tamil diaspora and local elements.
This year also saw a significant increase in foreign investment inflows. The Board of Investment signed the agreement for a major tourism investment project this morning and another agreement for infrastructure development is to be signed tomorrow.
This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Economic Development Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene addressing a media conference at his Ministry today (13). The Deputy Minister said that 1 ½ lakhs of anti-Sri Lankan pamphlets were distributed by the Tamil diaspora at the World Trade Mart held in London recently and despite this a 3.5 per cent increase in tourist arrivals from Britain has been registered. He said that the target for tourist arrivals next year has been set at 1.3 million arrivals.
The Deputy Minister said that several reputed international airlines are to make Colombo as a destination of their operations and pointed out that British Airways and Korean Airlines will start operations to Colombo from March next year. He said that negotiations are being carried out with several other airlines and it includes the Turkish Airline.
He pointed out that a survey carried out by a panel of experts of the British Airways to designate best tourist destinations for the year 2013 has named Sri Lanka as the number one best tourist destination for the year 2013. He said that Sri Lanka has been named as the best destination superseding many traditional destinations in the European and African countries. Similarly, he said, that many tourist and business journals also have recommended Sri Lanka as an attractive tourist destination.
The Deputy Minister also said that a media team from the Korean Airlines will be arriving in the country end of this month to film a documentary to promote Sri Lanka tourism by the Korean Airlines.
Yapa said that hotel occupancy rates have significantly increased and at present all hotels in and around Colombo is fully booked. He pointed out that a package to be launched by the Sri Lankan airlines in collaboration with Maldives had to be abandoned due to non-availability of hotel rooms in and around Colombo. The Deputy Minister said that 5,800 rooms will be added to the room capacity by the end of this year.
He further said that tourism has become a major employment generator in the country and it is being planned to make one in every six person in the country dependent on the tourist industry in the near future.(niz)
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