Sri Lanka's resources not marketed yet - Dy minister

Ishara MUDUGAMUWA

Sri Lanka is a country which has valuable resources to promote the tourism industry. A majority of the resources have not been marketed yet, said Economic Development Deputy Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardane.

Deputy Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardane

Participating in an inspection tour in Hikkaduwa, Deputy Minister Abeywardane said the majority of the people in some tourist destinations in our region depends on the tourism industry.

"However, they have limited resources. Sri Lanka has historical, cultural and natural resources to promote the tourism industry. But we have not used them yet," he said.

He said: "The tourism industry is a profitable foreign exchange earner for the country.

"It is necessary to import some goods and there is a need to spend high production costs for other industries such as plantation, textile,etc which bring foreign exchange," said the deputy minister.

He added that private and public sector authorities should work together to develop the industry.

"It is necessary to provide a satisfactory and attractive service for tourists. Over 60 - 70 percent of the industry is based on food. So it is important to provide high quality food for tourists," he said.

"After the introduction of the open economy, the tourism industry expanded all over the country. During the war, the industry was under performing.

"At present, Sri Lanka has achieved a high growth in the industry. We expect 2.5 million tourists to arrive in 2016," he added.