Nearly a year after the three decade long civil war ended, the tourism industry which suffered immensely during the past has recorded one of the highest tourism growth rates this year.
An interim report of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) lists Sri Lanka with a 50 percent growth in tourist arrivals among 77 countries that have reported international arrivals data.
For the first two months of this year , Sri Lanka which was once ravaged by war topped the UNWTO list which was followed by Saudi Arabia ranking second place with a +45% growth rate and Israel coming third after recording a +37% growth rate.
The Sri Lankan government is now organizing several events and is in the process of developing the tourism industry in order to make Sri Lanka a top tourism destination in the world.
Sri Lanka which is now being marketed as the “miracle of Asia” revived nearly $ 350 million in revenue from the industry last year.
An official from the Sri Lanka Tourist Promotion Bureau told Asia Tribune that several development projects in the war battered north and east is helping the tourism industry immensely.
“Sri Lanka is said to have some of the best beaches in the world. We are now focusing on developing the tourism industry in the North and East of the country. Previously tourists were deprived of traveling there due to the terrorism factor that prevailed in the North and East. At present Arugam Bay remains as a major hot spot for suffers. We are now getting a crowd that is traveling to these areas regularly,” he said.
The Indian International Film Academy (IIFA) has also decided to host its awards ceremony in Colombo next month for the first time. The industry is speculating a further growth next month due to the awards ceremony which will host several prominent Indian Film stars.
source - http://www.asiantribune.com
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