With India continuing to stand strong as Sri Lanka’s largest source market for tourism, CCC Vice Chairman Krishan Balendra said it is essential for the island nation to look at using the fast-growing outbound tourism pattern as a short-term solution to increase foreign exchange earnings.
For this, efforts are needed to establish a high-level committee, appointed by the two governments, to look at ways to increase Indian tourism to Sri Lanka, specially to improve air connectivity and reduce flight costs, he said.
Balendra shared his views while addressing the India-Sri Lanka Business Summit in Colombo which was held during the Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s visit to Sri Lanka last week.
“Colombo should be like a domestic destination for Indian travellers. Travel costs and ease of travel should be similar to a domestic destination,” said Balendra.
For the first 10 months of the year ending October, India has made the highest contribution to Sri Lanka in terms of tourist arrivals. The neighbouring country contributed 228,532 tourists to the island nation, representing 20 percent of the total arrivals for the year thus far.
As per data compiled and analysed by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), the primary reason for over 65 percent of Indian visitors to the country was leisure travel.
They also visited the island nation for religious purposes and to visit family and relatives.
SLTDA expects to lure atleast 264, 823 tourists from India by the end of 2023. In 2018, 424, 887 travellers from India visited Sri Lanka, and in 2022, the total number of arrivals from India was 123, 004.(DM)
