SL to enter into three joint tourism promotion agreements

• Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga says MoUs with Bangladesh, Cambodia and South Africa to be inked soon
• Says Govt. keen to enter into several other joint promotions with special attention to countries that bring most tourist traffic to SL

Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga

Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga yesterday said that Sri Lanka is keen to enter into joint tourism promotion agreements with Bangladesh, Cambodia and South Africa in the near future.

He said the initial proposal to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh was made during Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa›s official visit to Bangladesh last year. Accordingly, the relevant agreement has now been drafted with a special focus on joint investment and marketing activities in the field of tourism 

cooperation.

The Minister also said that the Cabinet of Ministers have also cleared a MoU with Cambodia. This was a proposal made by the Cambodian Government to further enhance the bilateral tourism cooperation.

Ranatunga said Sri Lanka is planning to tie up with South Africa to promote tourism in both countries. The proposal to this effect was submitted by the South African Government.

In addition, the Minister pointed out that the Government is working to enter into several other MoUs with a number of identified countries in the future to uplift the tourism sector.

“Special attention will be made to signing MoUs with the countries that bring in most tourist traffic to Sri Lanka,” Minister Ranatunga said.