Saudi lifts travel advisory on Sri Lanka
February 25, 2010 07:37 am
In May last year, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said his troops had managed to defeat the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
“We withdrew the travel advisory as the security situation in
During his meeting with Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal recently, Sri
Lankan Ambassador Ahmed A. Jawad highlighted the need to lift the ban.
Jawad told Arab News that his mission is working with the Tourism Development
Authority in
“Destination Sri Lanka”, a program initiated in
Overall, they had increased by 50 percent in the 12 months leading up to January, compared to the same period the previous year.
During the second half of 2009
“Judging by these early results, “Destination Sri Lanka” is on track to
surpass figures attained last year where tourist arrivals saw a double-digit
growth,” said Heba Al-Ghais Al-Mansoori, Middle East director of the Sri Lanka
Tourism Board in
Al-Mansoori confirmed that the strongest growth in visitors was from the
UAE, followed by
“Peace will finally bring prosperity and development to the country and open up more areas for tourism development which otherwise was not accessible during the war,” Al-Mansoori added.
Cultural attractions, entertainment, shopping, and dining are some of the attractions that draw Arab travelers to Sri Lanka, which is less than four hours flying time away from the Gulf. The local government’s support for the tourism sector and an expansion of low-cost carrier services are also contributing to the growth of the country’s tourism.
arab news