World Tourism Day focuses on empowering youths

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

The main focus of Sri Lanka’s World Tourism Day 2011 celebrations will be on empowering youth to look at the tourism industry as a career development drive to enhance the country’s economic growth.

“We wish to address future leaders of Sri Lanka and encourage them to join the tourism industry. President Mahinda Rajapaksa had developped a five-year-plan targeting 2.5 million tourists by 2016 and four million by 2020. The tourism industry has the potential to become Sri Lanka’s number one trade,” said Sri Lanka Tourism chairman Dr Nalaka Godahewa.

The main celebrations will be held around Beira Lake on September 27 and 28 while events will also be held islandwide. This is also the first time that World Tourism Day will be celebrated in other parts of the island.

Some of the festival features include showcasing cultural items unique to Sri Lanka, food stalls and a water light programme which holds four shows per day. Around 2,000 students from 150 schools will contribute to painting a one kilometre long art wall. Participants will be asked to draw their perception of Colombo in 10 years.

“A demonstration kitchen will be on display to give youths the basic idea of the sections of a fully fledged kitchen and how the equipment operates. Cooking demonstrations will also be on offer. Chef Dr. T Pubilis Silva of Mount Lavinia Hotel is working on a project which showcases hidden recipes from the Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Hindu, Burgher, Malay and Veddha communities,” said Sri Lanka Hotels Association president Anura Lokuhetty.

Ten stamps depicting some of the beautiful landscapes of Sri Lanka will be launched as part of the celebrations.

This is the first time that Sri Lanka will be launching more than four stamps to commemorate an event.