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Monday, 15 February 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shehana Dain
The nation’s catalyst in tourism prior to its celebration of 50 years of operations launched a special logo which encapsulates every aspect Sri Lanka as a tourism destination has to offer.
The national celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of Sri Lanka Tourism will be held on 27 May at the main hall of BMICH, together with all four institutions consisting in Sri Lanka Tourism namely, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), Sri Lanka Institution of Tourism and Hospitality management (SLITHM) and Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCM).
A commemorative stamp, volume which includes the history of the Sri Lankan tourism industry’s journey and video film on the 50 year history will be launched at the national ceremony. The event will be followed by a national exhibition. This exhibition will showcase all the milestones and is open from 27 to 29 May. There would be exhibitions taking place parallel in the same premises which would include the Sri Lankan hand craft industry, cultural heritage presented by the cultural fund, gem and jewellery and zoological and botanical gardens.
“The main highlight of the golden jubilee celebrations is to get public involvement. So we will have island wide essay, art and photography competitions for school children and the general public. The photographs that are captured will be used for our promotional campaigns as well,” said SLTDA Director General Malraj Kiriella.
Moreover speaking at the event Tourism Development and Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunga was elated about the final outcome of the logo. “The logo depicts everything Sri Lanka has to offer in tourism. One of the major complaints we had from tourists was the lack of events in the country. So in 2016 we are very focused on sports tourism specifically water sports as it’s a growing trend and we are talking about having an international tour operator’s convention within this year,” he added.
Additionally SLTDA Secretary Janaka Sugathadasa emphasised, “We have organised with the cooperation a series of activities. The purpose of these activities is to get not only the involvement of all the stakeholders but also to galvanize the occasion and refocus the tourism industry and improvement of the living standards of people in the country.”
Accounting only 18,969 tourist arrivals in the year of its inception 1966, the Sri Lankan tourism industry has progressed dramatically over five decades to receive an all time high of 1.8 million annual tourist arrivals at the end of year 2015. The income in 1966 was only $ 1.3 million which was increased up to a total of $ 2.9 billion by the end of 2015 surpassing the target of $ 2.5 billion.
Launch of special logo by Tourism Development and Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunga. Sri Lanka tourism Chairman Paddy Withana is also present - Pix by Lasanatha Kumara
Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority will commence proposals to develop home stay villages in the near future, a top official said.
SLTDA Director General Malraj Kiriella at a recent press briefing said that schematic home stay village concept will be launched in the near future.
According to him currently there are around 578 home stay establishments which constitute around 2,096 rooms. “We will are planning to develop home stay villages. In other countries there are home stay villages in different fields where it can be handy crafts, eco-tourism. We will launch schematic home stay village concepts we will launch in addition to the home stay product that we have now.”
Additionally he noted that at the golden jubilee national exhibition of Sri Lanka tourism a modern home stay demonstration will be exhibited to boost SME participation in the tourism industry.
