(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) says that in the current challenging environment in Sri Lanka, the tourism industry is expected to earn US $ 800 million this year.
The SLTDA says it is confident that between 800,000 and 850,000 foreign tourists will visit Sri Lanka by the end of this year and all the institutions involved in the tourism industry are also planning to implement a joint program.
A short-term plan for the promotion of the tourism industry up to the year 2023 has been presented and it is divided into short-term, medium-term and long-term.
Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Priyantha Fernando said more tourist arrivals are expected by the end of this year and the industry is expecting better results.
The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority said the tourism industry has suffered a major setback due to the unrest and protests that have taken place in the country since last April and the target of 1.3 million foreign tourist arrivals this year cannot be expected.
In the last five months 378,521 foreign tourists have visited Sri Lanka but tourist arrivals fell to 30,207 in May indicating a decline.
Due to the negative publicity given to the country in the international arena, many tourists who were expected to visit the island have taken steps to cancel their trips, SLTDA Chairman said adding that a good communication is expected in this situation.
