Sri Lanka Tourism expects 1 lakh Indian tourists in 2009 - News

With an aim to attract 2.5 million tourists by 2016, Sri Lanka Tourism today said it has undertaken many promotional activities, including road shows in various parts of India and expects one lakh Indian tourists in the island nation during this year.

In 2008, as many as 85,000 Indian tourists visited Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Tourism also expects a 15 per cent rise in MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) traffic from India.

During last month alone, about 41,207 tourists arrived from various countries to Sri Lanka, including 7,409 visitors from India, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Director Dileep Mudadeniya told reporters here.

''We are quite buoyed with the increase in number of tourists.

There has been an increase of 51 per cent in tourists arrivals in August this year as compared to the same month in 2008,'' he said.

In June, Sri Lanka Tourism started conducting road shows in Bangalore and later on, ''the road shows will be done in Mumbai in December,'' he added.

To promote tourism in India, Sri Lankan officials and top 15 Destination Management Companies from the island nation are interacting with nearly 150 travel agents in each city on a one to one basis.

Asked whether global meltdown affected tourism industry in the country, Mr Mudadeniya replied in negative, saying, ''Though there was a 40 per cent drop in number of tourists in 2008 as compared to 2007 but that was due to the civil war that ravaged the island nation.'' Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapaksa has declared 2011 as a 'Visit Sri Lanka Year' and in keeping with theme, a series of activities and events have been planned for the year to attract more tourists to the island, he added.

-- (UNI) -- 14DC11.xml

Viewer's Comment

Comments Not Available