The tourism industry in Sri Lanka is trying to revive the crisis-hit country's hospitality sector by providing more facilities to visitors from Middle Eastern countries.
According to Arab News, Sri Lankan authorities and people involved in promoting the tourism sector said on Thursday that special measures are already underway in this context.
Tourism has traditionally been one of Sri Lanka's main sources of foreign reserves and in 2018 Sri Lanka earned $4.4 billion through the industry, but in 2020 this revenue was down to just 0.8 percent.
The recently released data report states that global travel has come to a standstill due to the Corona epidemic spreading across the world, due to which Sri Lankan tourism has suffered a major shock.
After the global pandemic, Sri Lanka declared 2022 as the 'Year of Visit Sri Lanka' to prioritize the tourism industry in general, but at the same time, the country plunged into its worst economic crisis in history.
It should be noted that Sri Lanka has started to re-organize its tourism strategies and in the Middle East it is likely to look to the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and especially Saudi Arabia.
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau's Marketing Director Madhubani Perera says that tourists from Arab countries play a very important role in Sri Lanka's tourism.
"It is very important for us to restore the trust of visitors from the Arab region so that our guests feel culturally comfortable in Sri Lanka," says Madhubani.
Meanwhile, the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, Khalid Hammoud Nasir Al-Dsan Al-Qahtani has also appreciated the services and capabilities of Sri Lanka for Arab visitors.
The Saudi ambassador has said that Sri Lanka is an ideal destination for tourists from the kingdom, but to make the region more attractive, there should be an Arab-friendly environment.
Travel operator and former president of the Sri Lanka chapter of the International Air Transport Association M. Rezmir Rial has said that one of the important geographical features of Sri Lanka is that the country is very beautiful to attract tourists due to its location. is wrapped up.
Sri Lanka is a country that is easily accessible due to its proximity to the Middle East and many direct flights from all over the region.
Sri Lanka is the best place to attract tourists from the Middle East. We are expecting Arab tourists to visit Sri Lanka this year after a gap of four years.