Tag Archives: John Amaratunga

A delegation of 51 Sri Lanka-based tourism and hospitality companies visited Arabian Travel Market to develop tourist arrivals and demand in the island-nation. In 2017, Sri Lanka received a total of 107,635 tourists from the Middle East region with 6.5 percent growth with the UAE as one of the fastest growing tourism market from the region. Currently there are 70 direct flight services a week connecting the UAE to Sri Lanka suggesting the potential to grow and develop the market further is great, especially as travellers from the country on average have one of the highest travel spends in the world. This will result in not only return dividends for Sri Lanka’s tourism and hospitality industries, but also for the retail industry. John Amaratunga, Sri Lankan Minister of Tourism said, “Sri Lanka has much to offer visitors from the region with our distinctive, adventure-packed, eco-friendly, family-focused experiences and offerings, as well as our rich nature, heritage and culture, year-round schedule of festivals and special events, numerous parks and eco centers, luxury resorts and wellness centres, and romantic settings for honeymooners and couples. Our mission has done much to put Sri Lanka on the map and in the hearts and minds of Middle East-based travel partners, and in combination with future promotions planned for the country and the region, I’m confident we will see many more visitors from the region making Sri Lanka their next holiday destination of choice in the coming months.”

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