SLAITO welcomes extension of grace period for Saubagya loan scheme new relief

The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) in a statement extended its gratitude to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa for extending the grace period of the Central Bank-backed 4% Saubagya Working Capital Loan Scheme from six to nine months.

“This lifeline given by the Government will help the tourism industry to survive during these extremely challenging times,” SLAITO said in a statement. 

As a measure to ensure effective revival, SLAITO also requested the Government to look at the possibility of opening the borders for tourism in a controlled manner, conforming to health guidelines stipulated by the COVID Task Force and Ministry of Health. 

“This will no doubt help the livelihoods of a large number of stakeholders involved in the tourism industry and will generate valuable foreign exchange to the economy,” SLAITO added.