SL to be transformed into a year-round tourism destination

• Efforts are underway to bring in tourists who spend at least US $ 500 per day

As the island nation has much to do to quench its thirst for foreign currency, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said plans are underway to make Sri Lanka a year-round tourist destination.

He shared his comments while addressing the tourism sector stakeholders in the Galle district at a forum this week. At the meeting, Wickremesinghe gave assurance that programmes are being formulated to revitalise the sector. During the meeting, Wickremesinghe acknowledged the challenges faced by those in the tourism sector, due to the recent economic downturn. However, he reassured the attendees that a planned programme is being implemented to revitalise the sector.

While the country is witnessing an increase in the rate of tourist arrivals after being massively impacted by the pandemic and then the economic and political crises, it is not necessarily luring high-spending tourists.
In an effort to address this challenge, a plan has been conceptualised to lure over two million international visitors, of which a significant proportion is willing to spend about US $ 500 per day. A committee has been appointed to implement the plan.

Further, Wickremesinghe stressed the importance of having “better publicity” for the destination. The industry stakeholders have been repeatedly stressing the need to have a focused promotional campaign for Sri Lanka tourism.

The relevant tourism authorities announced this week that plans are underway to do away with the ‘So Sri Lanka’ tagline, which will be replaced with a new pitch that is better suited to portray what the destination stands for in the current context.