Extraordinary And Plenipotentiary Diplomatist July 19 Edition . | Page 13

LEAD STORY
T
he deadly blasts in Sri Lanka on April 21, Easter
Sunday killed at least 290 people and left hundreds
more injured. The day after the deadly attacks,
tourists were left struggling to leave the island nation, with
hotels bracing for cancellations. Needless to say, Sri Lanka
is quite popular with tourists from all over the world. Long
haul travellers make up a large portion of visitors. Asia
and Europe account for most of Sri Lanka’s entrances.
India was the single largest source of visitors last year,
with almost 4,25,000, while 2,66,000 came from China,
and more than 2,54,000 from old colonial power Britain.
A continued breakdown in tourism following these
attacks would deal a severe setback to the island’s
economy, but Sri Lanka is committed that its tourism sector
would recover from the setback.
Back with a Bang
In an eff ort to rebuild the Sri Lankan tourism, John
Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Christian
Religious Aff airs visited India to tout his country as a safe
destination for tourists.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event in Delhi,
the minister not only acknowledged Prime Minister,
Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Sri Lanka but also said
the visit has lifted the potential for the country’s tourism
sector.
“That was a great deal of support for Sri Lanka. It
will specifi cally help us attract Indian tourists. He came
and there was no risk in it. He also visited some of the
churches that were damaged and it was a very fruitful
visit,” said the minister.
India has been the number one source market to Sri Lanka over the past
decade and in 2018 recorded over 400,000 visitors to the island.
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 7 • July 2019, Noida • 13