Plans to bring wealthy tourists to Sri Lanka in the coming year: Ministry

11 December 2023 03:11 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 43 Bookmark

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Plans have been made to bring wealthy tourists to Sri Lanka in the coming year, the Ministry of Tourism said.

The officials of the Ministry told this to the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Economic and Physical Plans during a recent meeting.

The Committee also directed its attention towards bringing 5 million tourists to Sri Lanka in 2024 and in the simultaneous preparation of infrastructure development.

Addressing the Committee, officials of the Ministry of Tourism and Lands mentioned that they have planned to implement the Home Stay concept.

The Committee pointed out that the general society of Sri Lanka should be prepared to welcome such tourists in order to attract more tourists to Sri Lanka.

Accordingly, the Members of Parliament present mentioned that they should stop cheating on money from tourists and prepare a system to welcome tourists respectfully. The officials pointed out that training programmes are already being conducted in selected areas.

Furthermore, the Committee also pointed out that it is important to identify the places of tourist attraction at the local level and prepare methods to promote them.

Comments - 43

Chryshan Monday, 11 December 2023 03:30 PM

Sri Lanka needs tourists very badly to survive. Only request is to act calmly during next year elections. You say you want to encourage tourists and then play havoc when elections are announced.

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Sam Silva Monday, 11 December 2023 07:04 PM

It's not the tourism we need to have for our survival but our exports. Until we boost our exports and compete with the global market we will be depending on loans. Just look at our hotels and the money we have spent over few years. At the moment our tourism industry is dead we have to give them concessions to visit our country.

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Juanda Monday, 11 December 2023 08:10 PM

Offering concessions to tourists to get them to come to SriLanka? Don't make me laugh. $100 to extend a visa above 30 days? You want me to pay $100 for the privilege of staying and spending money to support your economy? Sri Lanka does not have a clue. Look to Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam as examples of places where tourists actually want to go.

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johan Monday, 11 December 2023 10:22 PM

He forgot when Danish wealthy businessman came to SL along with his family, Easter Bomb Blast due to the Power struggle killed three of their children. We can remember another donor who helped our hospitals etc also lost his wife similarly. So this was the treatment we give for the wealthy tourists

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Sandy Monday, 11 December 2023 03:33 PM

Beaches facing erosion need to be restored , coastal erosion can be reduced by building artificial coral reefs.Beach cleanup is done by volunteer organizations , authorities need to take over .

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BuffaloaCitizen Monday, 11 December 2023 03:43 PM

Why not, you and Rajapakse can go out and come back as wealthy tourists. How is your apartment in UK?

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Sokrates Monday, 11 December 2023 03:47 PM

What a joke. The people whose second name is fraud mentiones, that people who are in the tourist business shall stop cheating. Furthermore, it will take at least another 20 years, if not longer, to adapt Sri Lanka's infrastructure to the expectations of wealthy tourists. It is also unacceptable that tourists have to hear “Last orders please” in bars and restaurants at 9 or 11pm in the evening. The entire alcohol licensing system must be abolished and last but not least the Brothel ordinance must disappear.

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M- Nanda. Monday, 11 December 2023 03:57 PM

Chaa, the rogues are trying to show a clean face by advising not to steal from the Tourists. All the robbing has already been done and parked in various places and there is not much to rob from Tourists !

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Junda Madan Monday, 11 December 2023 04:03 PM

Only SL politicians can go overseas as wealthy tourists!

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Latley Gunasekera Monday, 11 December 2023 04:03 PM

You need no plan. Just improve the friendly and attentive service and the quality of food. We have our National historical beauty and incomparable beaches. Then the high end visitors will be there. Living in Switzerland more than 50 years ,being almost everywhere in the planet and staying in most expensive hotels and resorts, I know what I am preaching.Believe me or not in Colombo there is no single hotel the service and food quality even close what we received in cities in south East Asia. I am talking about the places where high end spenders landing. to what I am receiving in south-east asia

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NATO Monday, 11 December 2023 04:09 PM

Problem with our politicians is they talk way before the concrete plans are in place. One politician who once spoken delivered (at whatever cost) is late President R. Premadasa. Sadly his sonna boy is no where close to him in terms of delivering outcomes.

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Gunadasa Monday, 11 December 2023 04:13 PM

Urgently build good quality toilets through out the country and have plans to maintain them in good condition

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Lk Monday, 11 December 2023 04:14 PM

We need to do a lot for this We should improve our facilities We must improve our customer care We must improve our tourist entertainment injuries Even go and see Sigiri rock a lot of improvement needed And go and see any other places How could expect them to come unless our quality goes up in service sector

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joshua Monday, 11 December 2023 04:21 PM

Then it has to be Rajapakshe family members.

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Ram Monday, 11 December 2023 04:22 PM

We cannot bring wealthy tourists unless we have promotional material like short films or you tube presentations to attract them. The SL Ambassadors

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Y Wilke Monday, 11 December 2023 04:23 PM

Start with offering better and cheaper tourist visa like in India. 1 month, 6 month visa would be welcomed very much by tourist that want to stay longer

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Rip Winkle Monday, 11 December 2023 04:31 PM

Plans? Yeah, make yourself rich in the process of promotions, etc., and provide zilch. Plans! Yeah right!

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Albert Monday, 11 December 2023 04:42 PM

Finally some one is seeing sense. "stop cheating on money from tourists and prepare a system to welcome tourists respectfully." This is the biggest problem with Sri Lanka. The overcharging, the scamming, the ridiculous prices charged to tourists in comparison to locals. SL government seems to think that because we are willing to spend thousands of dollars on a flight we won't notice the prices charged to tourists. The visa price, the minimum hotel price, the minimum meal price for deitys sake. We do notice and if we feel we are being taken for a ride either won't visit SL again or are constantly on our guard against being treated like a walking cash machine.

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Mary Maidem Monday, 11 December 2023 04:59 PM

These Meeharak have a paddy cultivators approach to the promotion of tourism. Except for congestion, pollution and beautiful scenery Sri Lanka has very little to offer. Most of the good seafood is exported. Accomodation except in 5 star hotels is substandard. Night time entertainment ends at 9.30 pm. The country, including the immigration department is geared to rip the tourist off. The only amenable long term tourist market are the backpackers and cheap Eastern Europeans. This is all vacuous talk by people with too much time on their hands.

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ANURA HETTIARACHCHI Monday, 11 December 2023 05:03 PM

Tourist were waiting all these while to get your invitation... what else can I say Minister?

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Vino De Croos Monday, 11 December 2023 05:06 PM

Re: and Ministry of Tourism, We came last year and stayed at Marino Beach Hotel for a month. We enjoyed the stay and the people were very friendly. I want to make few suggestion: 1. Applying for extension online should continue 2. The restaurant should show the prices

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Be Realistic with your Plans Monday, 11 December 2023 05:07 PM

Only in SL I guess u can develop high end projects within a few months for high end tourism. Must be some high end huts or containers having high end entertainment systems for 1 visit. In other countries it takes a few years

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PD Monday, 11 December 2023 05:51 PM

lol which wealthy tourist will come here? trash burning, black sewage going into oceans, roads and cities so ugly with billboards, buses and tuks driving like mad. poor customer service. They go to Maldives, Monaco, Saint Tropez, Fiji, Bali

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Rip Winkle Monday, 11 December 2023 11:16 PM

Absolutely, dear PD

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‘The Lansi Burgher Gent’ Wednesday, 13 December 2023 09:09 AM

Well said PD. Well said, indeed. This place is an utter eyesore, with its gaudy buildings and equally gaudier cities and towns. Absolute scant regard for practicality, where city/town planning is concerned; adding to the unruly, uncouth, indisciplined, uncivilised lot that run amok and spoil what could have been another Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Mauritius, Zanzibar or Seychelles instead.

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Hard Truth Monday, 11 December 2023 06:04 PM

"preparation of infrastructure development" Yakko first provide good transport and electricity

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Johan Monday, 11 December 2023 06:44 PM

Wealthy tourists go to space not to a bank rupt country but if SL sells its assets they will come to buy

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lon pol Monday, 11 December 2023 06:50 PM

75 years these thugs have planned.. yeah, will continue another 100 years..

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Lakmal Kahawela Monday, 11 December 2023 07:32 PM

Home Stay is a very good concept. However the local council and the tourist board should layout guidelines and approve them and listed on Tourist Board website. Without a short term let licence, host should not accommodate tourists. This is what Scotland has just done it through city councils across Scotland

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Ron Monday, 11 December 2023 08:37 PM

Sri Lankan tourist sector need reforms to protect the tourist from promises made and not delivering have tourist feed back magority come in very happy but living very disappointed due to many people don't treat them accordingly our people only think how to rip them off in every avenue tourist are not stupid they may not get in to arguments but for sure they will not return again sri lanka have to look in very seriously if wants to attract tourist.. Do proper clean up to stop tourist been taken for a ride....

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ANNECUNT Monday, 11 December 2023 09:03 PM

Rajapaksas got lot of houses in u.s.a with our money basil got 4 houses under pushpa name gota got 3 houses under his wifes name and 3 houses under his sons name jayawewa sri-lanka

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Tourist Attractions Monday, 11 December 2023 09:48 PM

Urgent improvements needed in infrastructures at tourist attractions like toilet facilities, service staff levels, clean

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Siegfried Precht Monday, 11 December 2023 11:52 PM

The government's goal of attracting five million tourists to the country in 2024 could be achieved more quickly if the tourist visa system were adjusted. The government has introduced free visas for a limited period until March 31, 2024, for 7 countries. This should urgently be expanded to other countries where many tourists come from, such as Germany and Great Britain. My example: My wife and I have an ETA visa for 30 days, US$50 each = US$100. We would like to extend the vacation by 5 days and need an extension for this (new visa 50 US $ each). That's a total of 200 US $. That's extreme! We are considering whether the extension makes sense. Nationals of China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan benefit from the free visa system.

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Siegfried Precht Tuesday, 12 December 2023 12:01 AM

The government's goal of attracting five million tourists to the country in 2024 could be achieved more quickly if the tourist visa system were adjusted. The government has introduced free visas for a limited period until March 31, 2024, for 7 countries. This should urgently be expanded to other countries where many tourists come from, such as Germany and Great Britain. My example: My wife and I have an ETA visa for 30 days, US$50 each = US$100. We would like to extend the vacation by 5 days and need an extension for this (new visa 50 US $ each). That's a total of 200 US $. That's extreme! We are considering whether the extension makes sense. Nationals of China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan benefit from the free visa system.

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North Indian Tuesday, 12 December 2023 12:15 AM

Improve your Palaly airport and tourist will flock in. All need this airport to function.

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Dreamers Tuesday, 12 December 2023 03:15 AM

I have never heard a government proclaiming their plan to bring "wealth tourists" to a country. It sounds greedy and a money grab. Take Dubai, Singapore and Maldives. Even India. They have the luxury facilities, trained staff, luxury standards and privacy that wealthy tourists demand. All SL has to do is make those offerings available and the tourists will come. You don't go around talking cheap if you want to get the big fish.

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Ravi Wickramaratna Tuesday, 12 December 2023 04:14 AM

To attract wealthy tourist basic services need to be provided at well known tourist sites. Case in point is Sigiriya. The roads around the place must be bitumen sealed, so that it is not a mud pit when it rains. Clean toilets is a must with toilet paper. There should be cafes serving coffee and drinks. The Sigiriya ruins at the top should be properly maintained with signs posted, so that the tourist know what they are looking at. There should be a sourvnier shop with maps for sale about Sigiriya. these are some of the basics.

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Sambo Tuesday, 12 December 2023 08:28 AM

So are you going to select the rich based on their salary slips or tax returns. Don't put forward misleading figures as you ministers always do. It will be a miracle if you could manage half of you projected amount.

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Rizly Gem Exchange Tuesday, 12 December 2023 08:58 AM

We sell glass filled stones to tourists to pay these guides and touts 50% commission. So we cheat them.. Get rid of all the ice taking guides off the streets in colombo and down south..

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Mr.lazy Tuesday, 12 December 2023 09:47 AM

Also ensure fat healthy eating and drinking tourists come.

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lalith Tuesday, 12 December 2023 12:30 PM

Wealth tourism is good but wealthy tourist is not stupid

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Lalithan Tuesday, 12 December 2023 10:41 PM

Tourism needs a proper and functional tourism ministry... And most important is safety and security for the tourist with clear guidelines on whom to approach for assistance.. Clear and convenient connection within the country giving a value for money approach... Last but not the least training needs to be given for improved tourism management courses

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John Kidd Wednesday, 13 December 2023 07:16 PM

Send a copy of this to the minister of tourism ask him to read and reply to this forum.whats the chance of him his office doing this I have sent 3 email s to them and still no reply .for all they know I might be the Managing Director of a very large holiday company trying to enquire re extra vacations etc Unfortunately those in high positions are either useless or corrupt or probably both

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