Lanka, world’s second most attractive tourist destination

Priyanka KURUGALA

Sri Lanka is the second most attractive tourist destination in the world, Colombo University senior lecturer Dr Suranga Silva said.

“Tourist arrivals has increased by 40 percent while the income from tourism has increased by 50 percent,” Dr Silva said delivering a lecture on 'Challengers and subscription of tourism to social and economic development in Sri Lanka' at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institution.

The programme was jointly sponsored by the Informationa Department and the Sri Lanka Foundation Institution.

“ There is no industry in Sri Lanka with such a high growth as tourism, which is connected with almost every sector. Everybody in the country profits from tourism. If promoted in a proper way, a country can benefit positively,” he said.

“On the other hand, if projected in a negative way, tourism can destroy the country,” Dr Silva said.

“One individual’s annual consumption of chicken in Sri Lanka is only three kilogrammes. However this is 30kgs in Malaysia. This means due to tourism, production of food can increase significantly,” he said.