The tourism minister said the above at a discussion held at the Tourism Ministry on Monday (10) with several organizations related to the field of tourism regarding the preparation of the new Tourism Act.

The Minister highlighted that the Cabinet approval has been granted to repeal the Tourism Act No. 38 of 2005 and introduce a new Tourism Act in Parliament. The existing Act has divided the entire tourism sector into four major institutions; Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and the Sri Lanka Tourism and Hotel Management Institute and it was suggested that the Act should be updated as there are negative effects such as delays and wastage of resources in coordinating the relevant institutions. Accordingly, it was proposed to merge the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau but there were various opinions among those engaged in the field regarding this scenario.

Therefore, the Minister assured that the views and suggestions of those involved in the tourism industry will be taken into consideration for the preparation of the new Tourism Act.

Minister Ranatunga pinpointed that the new Act will give more focus on removing the barriers to achieve foreign earnings of US $ 10 billion by 2025 along with attracting 7 million tourists to the country and to minimize the delays and wastage of resources by merging the divided institutions as mentioned above.

Furthermore, the Minister stated that the government does not underestimate the contribution of the private sector to the tourism industry and appreciated the private sector involvement in strengthening Sri Lanka tourism amidst the pandemic.

Secretary to the Tourism Ministry S. Hettiarachchi, Chairperson of the Tourism Development Authority Kimarli Fernando and representatives of several major organizations representing the tourism industry were also present at the occasion.