Unrest in neighbouring countries can affect Lankan tourism :Basil

Major incidents of natural disasters, war related incidents, political unrest and bad publicity, in the region or a neighbouring country are strong enough to reduce the tourist arrival numbers in Sri Lanka although peace prevails in the island nation, a powerful government minister said in Colombo.

Tourism is a volatile and sensitive industry, and one should be very careful in handling it, as a single wrong signal is enough to change the mindset of tourists who plan to visit Sri Lanka, Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa told a gathering of journalists at a ceremony organised this week to launch a tourism promotion book “Victory over Asian Tourist” compiled by journalists Shyam Nuwan Ganewatte and Manoj Abeydeera.

Sri Lanka has diverted its key focus area towards attracting travellers from new markets in Asian countries like China, India, Korea and Japan, creating a more conducive environment for tourism, improving the country's image, he added.

The country is moving towards the target of becoming an aviation hub, therefore it should treat transit passengers as tourists because they also contribute something to the local economy during their short stay at the airport, he pointed out.

Mr. Rajapaksa revealed that his ministry has introduced a new plan to ensure the benefits of tourism are spread to more people and also protect the environment.

According to his new plan, people who operate small hygienic food outlets and ornament sale outlets catering to needs of tourists in close proximity to tourist hotels will be provided facilities at a nearby location to serve tourists.

Tourists will get an opportunity to have their meals outside the hotel and buy handicraft or batiks from local vendors outside hotel premises at a reasonable price, he said.

Sometimes the ministry might be criticised when it implements such plans, but “we” should do what is right for the people without considering the opinion of individuals, Mr. Rajapaksa said.

The new plan aims to put in place systems, processes and infrastructure to achieve the target of attracting 2.5 million tourists by 2016 and generate US$2.75 billion in earnings, he added.

Sri Lanka has diverted its key focus area towards attracting travellers from new markets in Asian countries like China India, Korea and Japan, creating a more conducive environment for tourism, improving the country's image, he added.