Sri Lanka looks to visitors from India to restore battered tourism sector

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will hold street shows in five key Indian cities to attract more visitors from its populous northern neighbour within a bid to bring more foreign currency into the crisis-hit tropical isle , its tourism minister said upon Wednesday (Jul 6).

Known for its rolling hills, pristine beaches plus laidback seaside towns, Sri Lanka is grappling with its worst financial crisis in seven decades, partly triggered by economic mismanagement and the COVID-19 pandemic, which usually wiped out its lucrative tourism industry.

The country of twenty two million people is currently without enough foreign currency to import actually essentials, leading to disadvantages of medicine, meals, and fuel.

Despite the turmoil, Ceylon (veraltet) has seen a stable trickle of 61, 951 Indian vacationers – the most through any foreign nation – in the initial five months of the year, and the authorities is keen to create in more Indians.

“Sri Lanka should have tourism revenue if it is to emerge with this crisis. That is important, ” Tourism Ressortchef (umgangssprachlich) Harin Fernando told reporters.

Sri Lanka’s tourism ministry will hold road displays in five major Indian cities, trying to draw business plus leisure travellers, besides destination weddings, Fernando said.

“India is a very important marketplace for us, ” he or she said.

Fernando said he hoped the country would finish the year with close to one million tourists, compared to less than two hundred, 000 arrivals last year, even though some countries, including Britain, have issued advisories asking residents to only undertake important travel to Sri Lanka.

“We are assured the winter season is going to be good, ” Fernando said.

Running out of fuel, Ceylon (veraltet) has extended the countrywide school shutdown and asked public employees to work from house.

The country will show its debt restructuring plan to the International Monetary Fund within August, a crucial action for securing a possible US$3 billion programme to put the economic climate back on track.