Sri Lanka Tourism revenue would exceed the USD 3.5 billion mark in 2017, said Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau, Kavan Ratnayake.
Speaking at the World Tourism Day celebrations held at the Arcade Colombo he said that it is also estimated that around 300,000 Sri Lankans have jobs associated with the industry. “It is estimated that this year more than 2.5 million people will travel to Sri Lanka to follow their dream of visiting an interesting and exciting destination,” he said. The target by both Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Tourism Minister John Amaratunga is to double tourism revenue and employment by 2020.
“But, they want us to achieve this target not at any cost, but with responsibility. They want sustainable employment with higher skills and better salaries for our people. They want us to bring back our people who work in other countries by paying them competitive salaries. We believe that with disciplined execution of this plan that we can achieve the target of five million visitors and USD 7 billion revenue by 2020, and ensure a total of 600,000 jobs in the industry, an addition of 300,000. To execute this plan we need support and commitment from many people and institutions. It’s a really large project and one that cuts across so many areas of responsibility. At least 20 different government agencies will have to work collaboratively to deliver the plan.”
The theme for World Tourism Day this year is Sustainable Tourism – A Tool for Development. “This is fitting for Sri Lanka as we embark on a journey to transform our tourism sector towards a sustainable and inclusive future,” he added.
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