He made this observation meeting with Chairman of International Tour Management Association of the World Religious Charity Foundation Zhao Xian Zhang at the Sri Lanka Tourist Board.

Dr. Athukorala said the latest research has revealed that short stays give peace of mind and better tolerance toward the harsh realities and difficulties of fast-paced lives which is essentially why the religious tourism spike has happened globally.

According to the Chinese spiritual life survey conducted in 2012 by the Beijing-based Horizon Research Consultancy Group almost 85 percent of the people in China hold some religious belief or practice some kind of religion.

"The survey also revealed that the growth of Buddhism is extraordinary, with about 18 percent of the 7,021 respondents in the survey claiming to be believers which mean that more than 200 million people in the country would believe in Buddhism which gives us a view of the market opportunity, "said Athukorala.

"Together with the key Destination Marketing Companies (DMC's) we will develop a new line of tourism which will include a series of above the line and below the line marketing activity," he added.

Arrivals from China increased 76.8 percent this year with the arrival of 144,439 visitors compared to the same period in last year.