High level delegation to boost Sri Lanka tourism

A high-level delegation from Sri Lanka's tourism industry, led by the island nation's Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mr. Faiszer Mustapha toured three major cities - Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam - over a ten day period from October 10-17.

The road show was a joint initiative of Sri Lanka's Tourism Ministry, the Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB), Sri Lankan Airlines (SLA) and leading travel and tour operators, with the support of the Saudi Arabian Ambassador in Colombo, Mr. Mohammed Mahmud Al Ali.

'The Middle East is a strong and fast-growing market for tourism to Sri Lanka,' said Mr. Mustapha on the eve of his departure to the Middle East.

'The increase is underpinned by strong religious, cultural and trade links going back to 1000 BC when the first Arab traders sailed to our shores in the quest to find precious gems and spices.

'And as the awareness of our tourism attractions grows - our cool, green hill country, our spectacular wildlife and nature parks and our gemstones just to name a few - we are seeing a significant increase in demand.

'In the first half of this year alone, the number of tourists has increased by almost 20 percent - from 6152 in 2004 to 7,368 this year according to our records for January to August,' he said.

Mr. Mustapha said increased flights into Sri Lanka had been another major factor in the increased tourist traffic.

Sri Lankan Airlines now operates a total of 36 flights daily from the major cities in the Middle East including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Muscat, Kuwait, Doha, Riyadh and Dammam.

An increasing number of Middle East Airlines are also helping to drive tourist traffic to Sri Lanka. Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Kuwait Airways, Royal Jordanian, Air Arabia and Saudi Arabian Airlines collectively operate 42 flights a week into the capital, Colombo.