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Colombo, January 05 (Daily Mirror)- The government is aiming to increase the quality in the tourism sector just as quantity in order to attract high-end tourists to the country, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath said.
The Minister said Sri Lanka achieved the target of two million tourist arrivals in 2024 and that the government is planning to attract three million tourists to Sri Lanka in 2025.
"We need to increase quality in the tourism sector just as the quantity. We can attract high-end tourists to the country by increasing quality in the sector. Tourism is not only an industry, it also reflects our history, culture and heritage," he said.
The Minister said some tourists who come on tourist visa engage in business activities in the country and said the projects to develop quality in the tourism sector will be a solution to the issue.
Denys Sunday, 05 January 2025 06:00 PM
Sounds like Vigitha got no clue about tourism.How is he going to attract high end tourists? Sri Lanka is not Las Vegas or New York. Concentrate on providing good facilities
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Target Mid Level Tourism First Monday, 06 January 2025 06:30 AM
I am a regular visitor to SL. In comparison to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam etc, SL has still a long way to catch up with these guys. They too are always chasing for the tourists dollar and up to various promotions to get us. Suggest SL continues to target mid level tourism first and improve transportation, medical and other infrastructures etc first. Increase budget airlines participation is another factor. Maybe in around 4 to 5 years time, target the upscale market.
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Sokrates Monday, 06 January 2025 10:13 AM
A certain type of high-end tourist could be attracted, such as adventurers and survivalists. Vijitha can advertise with ads like: Come to a country with no infrastructure, Experience adventurous train and bus journeys with drunk or drug-addicted drivers, Stand up to muggers, pickpockets and scammers, Try dodgy food in roadside restaurants, Drink tap water every morning and kasippu in the evening, Stay in dilapidated and filthy accommodation, swim in chemical-contaminated rivers and in the sea near large hotels that discharge their waste water into them, get treated in a government hospital if you are injured or fall ill, and as a highlight, two shootouts between rival drug gangs are guaranteed every week. Come to Sri Lanka and experience the greatest adventure of your life.
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George Soro Monday, 06 January 2025 10:58 AM
Sokrates - you made my day !!!!!
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wsw Monday, 06 January 2025 04:35 PM
Naturally, all these you've mentioned seems to have attracted you to live in SL, what more can we ask for mate? Lankan tourism on the right path !!
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Sunil Fernando Sunday, 05 January 2025 07:11 PM
You need to explain how you are going to attract the so called high end tourists. Just making a statement not going to happen by itself. The tourism should not be our main foreign exchange earner since it is a very sensitive commodity. Need to promote agriculture as our main objective. Our country is geared towards the agriculture oriented country. All others could be secondary. Majority will not agree because they don't want to get their hands dirty but to work in a office with a degree they earned.
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Yohan Monday, 06 January 2025 12:13 AM
Developing agri sector is good but it does not get ua enough foreign exchange as we need stuff like fuel to survive as a nation. It is better to invest more on tourism and service sectors that get us foreign exchange. Then some of the agri stuff we can get at half the price from other countries. Best example is rice. India can give a kilo of rice at 135 but here it cost around 240 at least even after giving fertilizer subsidiary to famers. So it does not make sense to me. Instead it is better use these low yield lands for agri tourism and projecta that get us more foreign exchange.
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FredSnR Monday, 06 January 2025 04:09 AM
Tourism is dependence on others, the tourist has to come, and it is seasonal. Agriculture is food, can consume it, store it, export it. .And the high end tourist needs to be defined, can mean different things to different people, and the tourists objectives in coming here may not align with ours(values).But the country has tremendous potential for tourism, look after what the Gods have given you for free, the golden sands, warm tropical seas, wildlife,waterfalls and the tourist will come, the cheapest and most effective way to get them, for an authentic experience
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Citizen Sunday, 05 January 2025 07:12 PM
First please attract Sri Lankan people by materializing your promises..!
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Lk Sunday, 05 January 2025 07:17 PM
The country need to make some plans and strategies to welcome tourists: we can aim for 5 millions in 2030 but are we ready to facilitate them? We need to plan out many things to increase the numbers as numbers are increased we should also good facilities : enough hotels, enough tourists information centers, enough tourism guides, enough restaurants, enough transportation facilities; at least update our air ports and tourist spots such as Sigiria and other places : Consider the conditions of Sigria or any others places : to attract more and more tourists we need to spend money on these places to facilitate them to visit : consider stair cases in Sigiria : they very old as if they were done 100 years ago : Put up some lights and new stair cases with new materials : good helth and safety measures are important to get more tourists:
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Hon. Sarneris Sunday, 05 January 2025 07:47 PM
First step, replace the grumpy and moody immigration officers while arriving and departing.
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D Perera Sunday, 05 January 2025 09:35 PM
You are 100% correct on that.
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Gabriella Sunday, 05 January 2025 11:47 PM
@ Hon Sarneris Spot on ! However, those miserable, unsmiling, unhelpful, arrogant, low-lifes, masquerading as Immigration Officers, do serve one purpose: they are a cure for constipation as they give you the s...'s. If there is a way to screw the tourist, they will find it.
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Good point Monday, 06 January 2025 07:04 AM
You are absolutely correct. I personally experienced this on my departure in December.
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Raven Monday, 06 January 2025 07:54 AM
We could start from the Minister himself.
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D P P Prasad Sunday, 05 January 2025 07:48 PM
First of all the infrastructure facilities that are connected with the tourism industry should be enhanced some roads which are leading to the attractive tourism destinations like national parks waterfalls beaches and cultural sites are deemed to be dilapidated such roads should be renovated. Thus most of the safari drivers as well as the three wheeler drivers are collecting exorbitant charges from the tourists so that it is mitigated a pricing formula has to be introduced.
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Hotelier Sunday, 05 January 2025 08:33 PM
In Sri Lanka the term "high-end tourists" is completely alliant to the culture , always the focus was on the quantity. All these decades the various governments of the past could not differentiate between the Indian tourists ( rude , unhygienic, and even cooked their own food ) and the tourists who came from rich countries like Japan, China, West Europe, and North America. Every hundred tourists from the rich countries is infinitely better than having thousand tourists from India.
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Jude Sunday, 05 January 2025 09:14 PM
Can you elaborate on your plans!!?? Remember, Vietnam attracting 18 million tourists every year. SL can't reach even 3 million.
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Sarath Monday, 06 January 2025 12:56 AM
Focusing on number is idiotic .We need tourists from advanced countries who spend money and behave well. If you want numbers invite thousands of Indian tourists they do not spend and mess up our hotel toilets .
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Gune Monday, 06 January 2025 04:01 AM
He has lot to learn from countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Very good infrastructure, inexpensive places to stay, decent places to have a beer and a meal, live cities/towns open till ate night, inexpensive entrance fees to places of interest, great and varied public transport systems and so on. He is only interested in "attracting" tourists, but not giving them any facilities. Typical SL mentality.
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Menik Sunday, 05 January 2025 10:39 PM
Need to remove all the red tape. Increase efficiency of staff by paying them a good salary and good service charge. Put some qualified people in tourism development agency and have a vision. Srilanka is blessed with a lot of natural resources and owners should be able to cater to tourists without burdening them too much. Have private beach areas for hotels.
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Gabriella Sunday, 05 January 2025 11:35 PM
Dreamers and Talkers, that is what Sri Lanka produces in abundance. Sri Lanka has nothing to offer the high-end tourist. High-end tourist expect every aspect of the tour to be five star. Sri Lanka is a long way from that level. It is a destination that attracts "bargain basement" tourists. Work with the reality rather than the fantasy. Ultimately "turnover" will prove more profitable than unrealistic expectations. Also, high-end tourism only garners profit for big business, and spending doesn't filter down through every strata of society,
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Kevin Sunday, 05 January 2025 11:43 PM
Just came back from Europe. Srilanka is an amazing place. With proper facilities and good marketing it can attract the best.
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Yohan Monday, 06 January 2025 12:08 AM
Just talking alone does not make it work. This is similar to your bogus claim of solving passport matter. In order to attract high end tourist the basic infrastructure around tourist attractions should be upgraded to modern level first. Then work on the rest of upgrades.
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Seagram Monday, 06 January 2025 12:58 AM
Open up the airports for long distance planes. In the outside world one can take leave from work two weeks at a time. Thus expand Palali Jaffna airport as a priority. This will attract people who have gone into Canada, USA, UK, NORWAY, SWEEDEN, FRANCE, GERMANY. There are cheap flights to London Heathrow from these countries.Thus they can travel from London to Palali. A round trip from London - Palali - Thiruchinapalli- London will be very profitable to the airline and mostly convenient to tourist and to the diasporas.
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Smh Monday, 06 January 2025 03:15 AM
Define "high end". Just want to check against my standard of high end.
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Walter Rozairo Monday, 06 January 2025 04:48 AM
Reading the above comments, the pessimistic opinions given show the lack of enthusiasm by the doom sayers to do anything positive by the new government What has been mentioned is pretty obvious and the minister is definitely aware of these issues. So encourage the vision, don’t throw cold water on it.
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Judge Monday, 06 January 2025 06:01 AM
Where is the free visa for 35 countries you preach? This guy has no idea about the visa system currently SL has. Just visit eta.lk website and see if you can get free visa. Typical SL mentality, a Minister talking about things without knowing the ground reality. Equally incompetent are his advisers who do not even bother to log in to that website and see if free visa is available for those countries. No wonder other countries are miles ahead.
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Lalith Monday, 06 January 2025 06:59 AM
Sri lankan Tourist Board first started targetting High- end Tourists in 1981.Various programs were launched to attract high-end tourists during Governments of CBK in 1997 ,Ranil in 2001 ,Mahinda in 2011.But still majority of the western tourists who visit Sri lanka are Backpackers who are in their 20s and 30s.So Mr Vijitha Herath what is your government going to do which differs from the programs done by past Governments?Any Fool can make statements like this to create sound bites but a Responsible Minister would be more specific as to How he is going to achieve this goal.
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Amaran Monday, 06 January 2025 07:10 AM
High-end tourists expectations are also high-end. You cannot give the same reception or blanket solution to all. You have to be creative. For example, the city appearance of FORT, Colombo 1 is horrible. The OLCOTT MAWATHE, Colombo 1 need to be modified. Secondly, the appearance of RAILWAY STATIONS need to be uplifted.
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Umar Perera Monday, 06 January 2025 07:11 AM
Begin by telling them that you are in the process of killing 150 elephants who are a keystone species.
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MR Monday, 06 January 2025 07:29 AM
There are lots of likes for comments by HOTELIER. You guys will be beggar country for ever for this type of mindset. Beggars like you guys, want money during crisis but not the people, with this mindset you can never prosper. All you guys care is about color of skin and money.
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Perera Monday, 06 January 2025 07:39 AM
Going by the posts here the minister has enough and more expert advisers to seek advice on how to attract high end tourists.
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Seqi Monday, 06 January 2025 08:25 AM
First of all look after Sri Lankans by providing a reliable rail network for commuters. Paradise trains don't derail.
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Be Fair Monday, 06 January 2025 08:27 AM
Maldives got 1.4m tourist with USD 4.5B Revenue in 2024. We have a much better product here in Sri Lanka, but due to the Lethargy of Officials, Greed of Operators [not all] , undisciplined touts and brokers, unscrupulous traders we are not able to attract that quality. So first, the ATITTUDE needs to change at large. Until that happens..... nothing good can happen for tourism
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DPerera Monday, 06 January 2025 08:50 AM
First step; start a 'toilet project' to build and maintain proper usable toilets throughout the country. This is how Singapore started
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Brainer Monday, 06 January 2025 08:51 AM
Hey you must have been managing a petti kade.. According to the survey Indians tourist are the most high spenders in many ways... Second Chinese... You need help..
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Brainer Monday, 06 January 2025 08:53 AM
How to attract high end tourist with a low end mindset... Think a minite AKD
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jimbo Monday, 06 January 2025 08:54 AM
First and foremost build good and clean toilets to meet international standards on all the major points in the country including the roads.
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Jesus Monday, 06 January 2025 08:55 AM
Shift president House and psd from fort.. Make colombo 01 new York City...
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Citizen Monday, 06 January 2025 10:08 AM
New Joke not New York..!
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Dr Tissa Fernando Monday, 06 January 2025 09:14 AM
Before dealing with high-end tourists, need to deal with racist idiots like @Hotelier. Obviously, no brains.
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Cheena Monday, 06 January 2025 10:05 AM
You are repeating what the previous Govt. was planning and to establish. However DO NOT FORGET WE ARE IN SRI LANKA! Remember to ensure QUALITY in Govt. - Speaker with "false" doctorate and PM thanking little "China" for generous gifts from big "China"
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Katharina Monday, 06 January 2025 11:42 AM
Forst of all, there must be tourism schools. The guides should be prepared After passing an exam they should get a licence... Now everybody can work as a Guide, even not speeking English. It is a big Chaos.
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Guppi Monday, 06 January 2025 12:10 PM
Sri Lankans are renowned for their unmatched hospitality, which often surpasses that of many other countries. Our food and beverage sector stands out as one of the finest globally, with only Singapore and China possibly rivaling it. However, to truly attract and cater to high-spending tourists, we must complement our strengths with world-class extracurricular entertainment. Imagine Sri Lanka offering experiences like Dubai and Singapore, with attractions such as bungee jumping, scenic cable cars connecting our breathtaking mountains, enhanced water sports and surfing facilities, top-tier diving options, luxurious spas, and thrilling activities like mountain biking and motor racing. Purpose-built tracks for car and bike racing, as well as spaces for drifting, could elevate the appeal further. Incorporating live jazz performances featuring foreign musicians would also add a sophisticated cultural dimension, raising the bar from local offerings, which currently lack international accla
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Hon. Sarneris Monday, 06 January 2025 01:53 PM
High end like Elon Musk, et al.
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sumo Monday, 06 January 2025 01:54 PM
anoyther misingfotrmed idiot talking. Didf one of the Rajapakse band wagon talk such nonsense in their time. Just get the tourists in so the country will have much needed Foreign money.
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PG Monday, 06 January 2025 04:28 PM
Compare Colombo airport to other major airports? It's a piece of junk. When you come out of the airport, it's a total nightmare. I think poorly developed African countries have better airports. They could've modernised Colombo airport instead of wasting money on that rubbish Mattala airport that no one goes to.
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