Sri Lanka targets up to 100,000 UAE tourists in coming years

The current consul general of Sri Lanka to Dubai is on a mission to ramp up the number of tourists coming from the UAE to the South Asian island nation. His aim is not only to double the number of visitors from 20,000 to 40,000 this year but also to reach as many as 100,000 annually in the coming years.

This bold target by Consul General Alexi Gunasekera is anchored on the approach by Sri Lanka to actively woo UAE investors in tourism, construction, logistics, and agriculture. While the Sri Lankan government is promising better governance frameworks, tax holidays, improved services and other incentives to make Sri Lanka a competitive destination for foreign capital, Gunasekera’s approach is geared towards developmental tourism that will result in a more inclusive economic development.

Gunasekera noted Sri Lanka is strongly recovering from the devastating Cyclone Ditwah that hit the island nation last year, resulting in damages to tourism and infrastructure estimated to run into billions of dollars.

Speaking at the recent ‘Invest Sri Lanka Investor Forum’ held in Dubai, Gunasekera said, “Our island nation is once again open not only for travel and leisure but also for investment opportunities and economic cooperation. Grab this opportunity and come to Sri Lanka.”

Gunasekera is confident of achieving his tourism target, given the diverse number of expats and short travel time (approximately 4 hours) between the UAE and Sri Lanka. He noted, “Indians, who are the number one tourists in Sri Lanka, number about 4 million here – if we get even just one per cent of them to go to Sri Lanka, that would already be 40,000.”

“Then, you have Egyptians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Nepalis, and Filipinos, as well as expats from China, the UK, and Russia. We want to target them,” said Gunasekera, adding he will actively pursue talking to different tourism boards and councils.

Inclusive economy

For Gunasekera, tourism is not just about inviting people to come to his country but about having an inclusive and sustainable economic development. He told Khaleej Times, “Our GDP (gross domestic product) is about $85 billion; our Sri Lankan expat workers across the world send about $7 billion, and we expect about $5 billion to come from tourism.”

“Tourism is an economic catalyst. Everybody will get the benefit from tourism. One tourist coming to Sri Lanka will help even the most vulnerable in society, he added, noting, “Tourism results in direct and indirect employment, supporting livelihoods across the island country. Our tourism is geared towards inclusive economic development.

“Tourism will empower our people. We say some countries are industrialist countries; they depend on the industries. Some countries depend on the service sector, and we want to have a strong tourist sector,” he added.

Gunasekera also sees tourism will fast-track development in infrastructure and upgrade facilities. He also sees more investors pouring in capital for Sri Lankan tourism.

Meanwhile, in a separate interview, Naveen Gunawardane, managing director and co-founder of Lynear Wealth Management, told Khaleej Times, “There’s a massive opportunity over the next couple of years for companies to set up hotels in the resort areas.”

“If you look at hotels, there’s a lot of inventory in the Colombo area, but we haven’t really had much inventory in terms of hotel rooms coming in the resort areas,” added Gunawardane, noting investors should look into Sri Lanka’s key hotspots, including the southern coast and eastern belt of the island nation.

Both Gunawardane and Gunasekera believe developing more resort areas would offer international travellers who are seeking world-class experiences more choices other than Colombo.

“We have natural beaches. We offer diverse experiences—from ancient cultural sites to lush, high-altitude tea plantations and rich wildlife—all within an island country that has more than 2,500 years of history,” underscored Gunasekera.

Source: Khaleej Times

--Agencies