Sri Lanka sets sights on 400% increase in British tourism

At this year’s World Travel Market, Sri Lanka’s Tourism Promotion Bureau has signalled their intention to quadruple British tourist numbers by 2016.

The South East Asian island currently welcomes around 100,000 visitors from the UK each year, most of whom are drawn to its gorgeous golden beaches and year round 30 degree temperatures.

Moving forward, the country hopes to build on the adventure and nature side of its tourist business, creating sustainable opportunities for Brits to come and explore their tropical wildlife or try their hand at river rafting and mountain biking.

Speaking at WTM this week, the Managing Director of Sri Lanka’s Tourism Promotion Bureau Malraj Kirielia indicated that their attention would be focused on raising the number of hotel rooms on the island as part of the plan.

Currently there are around 15,000 hotel rooms available to tourists and this will have to be raised to 50,000 in order for them to achieve their targets. Investment from foreign hotel groups would be key, he went on to say, with a strong focus on sustainability and social responsibility.