Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sudharshan Seneviratne has said Sri Lanka is ready to welcome tourists from Bangladesh and other parts of the world.
The government has taken necessary measures to give people back their confidence, he added.
"What we are projecting now is about confidence. This is a very important thing. We are also looking at enhancing our economic status by proper management," he told reports at a media briefing at the High Commission on Thursday.
Seneviratne said Sri Lanka’s stock market and exports are doing far better, and there is progress in other areas that give a picture of confidence to people to come and visit Sri Lanka.
The Covid-19 pandemic and recent political situation battered Sri Lanka's tourism, one of its biggest foreign currency earners.
Everything has now returned to normal and conducive conditions have been created for visiting Sri Lanka, Seneviratne said, urging the Bangladeshi citizens to consider Sri Lanka as their tourist destination.The high commissioner highlighted the emergence of Bangladesh as a key target market in South Asia with its palpable presence.
Bangladesh has proven its self-determination, economic development, and resilience within a very limited time, while broadening their horizon, especially in trade, investment, and tourism, Seneviratne mentioned.
Sri Lanka Convention Bureau Chair Thisum Jayasuriya said the situation in Sri Lanka now has totally changed and there is no queue for fuel or anything on the street.
Sri Lanka now has enough fuel for essential services like buses, trains, and medical vehicles, and steps have been taken to give special importance to tourists for their pleasant stay and travel, he added.
Jayasuriya, however, blamed a section of the media who exaggerated the situation, adding that there was no food crisis in the country.
"Tourists from various countries have already started visiting Sri Lanka. We are expecting that more than 100,000 tourists from different parts of the world will visit Sri Lanka by December this year," he stated.
