Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts unveiled the ‘Bring A Friend Home’ promotion campaign in Colombo yesterday (30).

Addressing the event Tourism Development Minister John Amaratunga noted that Tourism industry has attracted attention with a quick recovery, post-Easter Sunday setback.

“At the moment we are bouncing back after the 21 April attack. Some countries took couple of years to revive. But Sri Lanka in a couple of months, two, three month is now coming back. Arrivals are increasing .At the moment there are about 4000 tourist arrivals per day and the flights resuming their operations as usual, “Minister Amaratunga added.

Speaking further Amaratunga outlined a number of initiatives that are underway in order to boost the tourism industry.

“The government is now trying to encourage more airlines by reducing the airport rates. The levies that are being operated, it was said that Sri Lanka was the highest in the whole region, therefore, the cabinet has now agreed to bring down this rates in keeping with what is happening in the rest of south Asia. Another new initiative is the ‘free visa on arrival’which will commence from the 1 august. This is the procedures we are trying to adopt in the immediate future. I think all of it will contribute for convenience of all tourists who would like to come to Sri Lanka,” he added.

Meanwhile with regard to the global promotion campaign by Sri Lanka Tourism, Minister Amaratunga noted that advertisement programs are on board and the officials are working very hard on it, despite the cumbersome procedures that are there in Government spending.

“However, before next month the programs will bring more tourists to this country,” he added.