COLOMBO, Oct 26 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lankan Tourism Minister, Prasanna Ranatunga, yesterday said, the government will launch a special tourism promotion programme in five countries to boost tourism.
Ranatunga said, he had instructed authorities to expedite the implementation of the special promotion programme, which targets France, Britain, Germany, India, and Russia.
Accordingly, short- and long-term promotions will be organised in the coming months, targeting tourists from these countries, he said.
Ranatunga added, he also instructed the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau to expedite promotions in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and the Middle East and carry out publicity campaigns in several countries, to promote Sri Lanka as a country that has successfully administered COVID-19 vaccinations.
According to official statistics, Sri Lanka saw the highest tourist arrivals to the country this year in Sept, with 13,547 arrivals.
With the arrivals up to Oct 13 added, the cumulative figure of tourists since the re-opening of borders on Jan 21 was 45,413, the Tourism Ministry said.
Tourism was one of the worst-hit industries by the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, with the livelihoods of nearly four million people, directly and indirectly, affected by the lockdowns and the closing of borders.– NNN-XINHUA
