NEW DELHI: With Covid subsiding and Sri Lanka’s economy needing a boost in the form of tourism revenue, Colombo is trying to woo tourists from India. A delegation led by Sri Lankan Convention Bureau (SLCB), an arm of the country’s tourism ministry, has reached the country to promote Sri Lanka as a holiday destination.
India is a priority market for Lanka as nearly 21% of overall tourist arrivals in the island are from here.
“Sri Lanka is fully open and reaching out for tourists. India is our priority market and we are targeting three types of tourists – family, entertainment and Ramayana. We are also working out special deals for Indian tourists and are in the process of tying up with low-cost carriers,” says SLCB chairman, Thisum Jayasurya said.
The SLCB delegation, led by Jayasurya, has already held a roadshow in Delhi with more planned in Mumbai and Hyderabad. “India has always stood strong with Sri Lanka with their boundless love to visit
and explore our island. Wonders of our paradise are ready for Indians,” Jayasurya added.
He said Lanka is aiming for one million tourist arrivals by the end of the year (half a million have visited Lanka so far this year). “We are optimistic that a major chunk of this would arrive from India,” Jayasurya said during the roadshow in Delhi.
Sri Lanka’s tourism earnings in the first 10 months of this year surpassed $1 billion, according to the latest data from the central bank. Xinhua news agency reported that the monthly tourism earnings stood at $75.6 million in October. In October alone, more than 42,000 tourists visited Sri Lanka, bringing the total number of tourist arrivals so far this year in the South Asian country to over 5,68,000.