10-year National Tourism Policy soon

By Charumini de Silva

Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said yesterday that the much-awaited 10-year National Tourism Policy is being finalised and will be unveiled during the second half of the year.

“It is being reviewed by various experts and committees. Thereafter, we will submit a Cabinet paper for approval for immediate implementation. This will help the industry have a clear vision of the industry objectives and goals,” he told the Daily FT. 

The 10-year National Tourism Policy comprises a comprehensive strategy covering the entire industry including; regional development, increasing female participation, identifying new tourist attractions, markets and so on.

Sri Lanka Tourism seeks to springboard from recovery to become a more agile and resilient sector. Over the past year, the Tourism Ministry has taken many steps to formulate a National Tourism Policy for Sri Lanka and it has now come to the final stage of getting Cabinet approval.

Fernando said the meticulous management of the future challenges connected with the utilisation of the resources in the tourism sector has been mainly focused on when drafting the new national policy.

“To formulate the National Tourism Policy, all the rules and regulations, guidelines pertaining to the tourism industry have been taken into consideration,” the Minister pointed out.