Sri Lanka plans to attract 2.5 million tourists in 2024

Kolkata: Sri Lanka, which has been on the path of recovery after internal political turmoil, has set a target to attract 2.5 million tourists in 2024 to boost it's economy.

Nalin Perera, director general of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority shared the details during the island nation's roadshow in the city to promote tourism weeks after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee met SL president Ranil Wickremesinghe at Dubai Airport on her way to Spain.

Mr Perera said, "We had political turmoil in the country after the Covid-19 pandemic. But we are a very resilient nation. We have bounced back very strongly. Sri Lanka depends a lot on tourism which is also the third biggest revenue generator of the country."

He elaborated, "We have already welcomed one million tourists this year. Among them, nearly two lakhs were from India. This accounts for 22-24% of our total market share. This is significant as India has been the market leader in the last few months as far as the number of tourists' arrival is concerned. We are now looking at 2.5 million tourists globally to visit our country in 2024."

On the resumption of flight service by Sri Lankan Airlines from the city, Mr Perera however added, "Sri Lankan Airlines is going through a revamp of it's aircrafts. Currently they are facing not enough equipment to operate to Kolkata. But as far as I know, it's in the plans. Kolkata is an important market for us."