Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
South Asia’s first Disneyland could open in Sri Lanka
A TEAM from Disneyland has agreed to visit Sri Lanka in November to hold discussions on setting up South Asia’s first Disneyland in Hambantota.
“(Tourism Minister) Diana Gamage will be visiting the US soon to discuss plans for the $18billion investment following an invitation from Walt Disney,” tweeted Jamila Husain, associate editor of the Daily Mirror.
Gamage said the project would boost Sri Lanka’s tourism sector.
Notably, Sri Lankan tourism would get huge exposure after the country won the hosting rights for Miss Tourism World – International Finale 2022 in Colombo.
Croatia and Russia, the other two countries shortlisted to host the 75th edition of the Miss Tourism World 2022 global pageant, opted out to allow Sri Lanka to host this event, reported the Sunday Observer.
This was because these two countries knew that the event would play a major role towards tourism revival in Sri Lanka, said David Singh, global director of Miss Tourism World – International Finale 2022.
Sri Lanka will host the event from December 8 to 21, featuring winners from 80 countries. During the pageant, they will visit all the important tourism spots in Sri Lanka including Kandy, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Habarana, Ella, Arugam Bay, Mirissa and Galle, said Singh.
Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented crisis owing to economic mismanagement, corruption and agricultural crises. The country of 22 million people is in the grip of economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, which has left millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials.