සංචාරක කර්මාන්තය ආශ්‍රිත සංගම්වල නියෝජිතයෝ ජනපති හමුවෙයි

Newswire and Newsfirst report that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake led a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat on the afternoon of October 28 to review 2027 budget proposals for the Ministry of Tourism. Newswire says participants assessed the progress of tourism promotion projects, operational difficulties and possible near-term responses.

Newswire reports that the budget discussion covered a tourism development project involving historic Dutch ports in Jaffna, Mannar and Batticaloa, with the President stressing protection of historical heritage during implementation. Participants also considered marine tourism, financing for projects launched the previous year, and port improvements to encourage cruise visits.

Newswire reports that the meeting considered promoting Anuradhapura, Mihintale and Kandy internationally for Buddhist education and spiritual tourism, developing eco-tourism destinations, and progress on the Southern Mist project in the Southern and Sabaragamuwa provinces. It also discussed Ministry-led entrepreneurship education and training, tourism degree courses, strengthening Tourist Police, and expanding domestic air services in the Northern and Eastern provinces.

Newswire and Newsfirst report that the President separately met tourism industry association representatives on the morning of October 28 to discuss the 2030 goals of US$10 billion in tourism revenue and five million visitors. Newswire says the meeting addressed domestic flights to destinations including Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Sigiriya and Jaffna. It also noted that 10 new international airlines began serving Sri Lanka during the year and discussed expanding the number of operating airlines to 50.

Newswire reports that participants discussed using national parks to support tourism while protecting forests through laws and regulations, and reviewed ongoing international promotional campaigns. They also considered mandatory registration of hotels and other accommodation providers with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, and rules for businesses operated by foreign nationals outside prescribed legal procedures. Attendees named by Newswire included Labour Minister and Deputy Finance and Planning Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, senior presidential officials and tourism association representatives.