Govt. aims to attract high-end tourists: Vijitha Herath

• Aims to attract 3 million tourists in 2025

By Ajith Siriwardana  

The government is aiming to increase the quality in the tourism sector just as the 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 visas 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.  

He said the tourism industry must reach village level, focusing on the activities of the rural people without confining into Colombo centric hotel related tourism.