• Such incidents could hamper the tourism industry at a time when the industry is gradually recovering after the COVID-19 pandemic

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya

Tourism  Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has requested the IGP to strictly enforce  the law against those who harass and cause inconvenience to tourists  visiting the country.

In a letter to the IGP, the Minister  pointed out that those involved in such incidents should be severely  punished irrespective of their position.
Several incidents of  harassment and harassment of tourists visiting the country have been  reported on social media in the last few days. 
The Minister said  that such incidents could hamper the tourism industry at a time when  the tourism industry is gradually recovering after the COVID-19  pandemic.

Earlier this month, the Daily Mirror reported that the  police launched investigations into similar incidents where two German  women were sexually abused by locals in two separate incidents in  Kollupitiya and Tangalle.   
Minister Ranatunga requested the IGP to  pay special attention to this matter as the damage caused to the  country’s image and the tourism industry due to such incidents could be  rectified only by enforcing the law against those involved in these  incidents.

Meanwhile, the Tourism Development Authority said that  a total of 175,909 tourists have arrived in the country from January 1  to February 27 this year. Among them, 28,392 have arrived from Russia while 24,141 tourists from India, 17,749 from  the UK, 13,039 from Ukraine and 12,779 from Germany.