Sri Lanka is gradually getting back to normalcy after a prolonged economic crisis and is now ready to attract investors in different areas, representatives of a visiting business delegation told a media briefing on Thursday.
“We have been having talks with the chambers, the Federation of commerce and industries and they are very positive,” said Professor Sudharshan Seneviratne, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Dhaka.
“The Bangladeshi businessmen said that they are holding on to investment plans for a little bit for the things are going on in Sri Lanka at the moment. But they said they are ready to invest in Sri Lanka” he added.
“The board of investment in Sri Lanka has outlined several areas for investments,” he said the influx of investment will also promote tourism.
“Now the catch is this. If there's confidence that comes through the investors, that tourism slot will also expand that immediately say, hey, guys are investing here is a good place to go. Okay, so I mean, I'm just I just spoke with one area. So the gentleman and Shoba country Laconia could talk about the other areas,”
In the tourism sector, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner said, “We are having multiple materials of tourism.”
“It could be heritage, it could be nature, it could be education, it could be sports, so we have a whole range of things that the small island has to offer.”
“We are also looking at expanding the radius of sites. So you could have, for instance, a microsite where you do only a limited amount of activities. Then you spread it into another zone. You know that you will have different types of activities that go on, but you will be stationed at that particular site. And then you travel because our logistics are good”.
“The infrastructure is good our transportation system is intact. So we have the wherewithal to go to the next level of the tourism plan for Sri Lanka and if it as your project if you're looking at a boom or a jump in tourism, we are ready to take it off,” he narrated.
The briefing was organised to promote ties between the two countries' tourism and aviation sectors.
The main objective of this exclusive event was the positioning Sri Lanka as a preferred tourism destination and showcase the opportunities to Bangladesh, travel trade, and professional conference organisers.
More than 80 participants from Bangladesh representing tourism, the corporate sector and 12 Sri Lankan companies took part in the programme.
The national flag carrier of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan airlines, and the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau organised the business networking programme in collaboration with the Sri Lankan High Commission.
The Sri Lankan High Commissioner highlighted the emergence of Bangladesh as a key target market in the South Asian region with its palpable presence.
“Bangladesh has proven its self-determination, economic development and resilience within a very limited timeframe while broadening its horizons, especially in the fields of trade, investment and tourism”
“50 years of reflection of the two nations will undoubtedly maximise this collective potential in the coming years, and this programme will be the first of many in unleashing centuries of solidarity and fraternal tiesBetween Sri Lanka and Bangladesh,” he added.
Chairman of Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, Thisum Jayasuriya said, “Bangladesh is a key source market in the South Asian region for our industry and has shown a positive trend in its increase in the mass traffic over the past two years.”
“The Sri Lankan airlines direct ear connectivity has positively encouraged to develop the sector.”
Addressing the gathering, the manager of Sri Lankan airlines Sharuka Wickrama Adittya said the Sri Lankan airlines will endeavour to provide its best services from departure to the in-flight experience.
Sri Lankan airlines presently operated daily flights on the Colombo-Dhaka sector being an added advantage for all travellers, he mentioned.
The manager said, “The country’s aviation sector is getting back to normalcy gradually. We are doing great.” He said now they carry 600 passengers from Bangladesh per month to Colombo.
He also said the authorities are planning to rationalise the present fare.
The fare now is not cheap due to the rise in flight costs, he added.
