COLOMBO : Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga says that 2,600 new tourist attractions that have not yet been promoted as tourism hotspots have been identified. He said that steps have already been taken to expedite the development of such places with tourist Police protection, adding that the private sector will also be involved in this project in addition to the Government.
The Minister said that with the opening of the airport, these places will be developed into tourist destinations which will enable Sri Lanka to earn more revenue.
Accordingly, in addition to natural beauty, plans have been made to develop the tourism industry with a special focus on amusement parks, religious and cultural sites as well as national heritage sites, adventure sports, agriculture and wellness tourism and Ayurveda.
Meanwhile, steps have been taken to invest in the private sector for the development of the tourism industry and the government is focusing on establishing all-inclusive tourism service centres that connect cities, the Minister said.
Ranatunga said that the development work being carried out at the Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport will be expanded to allow more tourists to arrive in the country at the same time, adding that steps have been taken to develop other airports in the country in the future.
