Budget 2024 highlights need for renewed efforts to uplift tourism sector

• Calls for a number of changes to be made based on the location, climate, and historical heritage 
• Stresses need to create a new tourism culture by overcoming traditional functions
• Rs.2.35bn allocated to improve sector across different levels

 President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday pointed out that renewed efforts are needed to transform Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, so that it can be pitched according to the needs and likes of today’s traveller.
While acknowledging that the tourism industry is making progress after being negatively impacted year-after-year since 2019, the President called for a number of changes to be made based on the location, climate, and historical heritage of Sri Lanka.

“We have to create a new tourism culture by overcoming the traditional functions of renting hotel rooms, providing spaces to enjoy beach experiences and showing Sigiriya.

A number of steps that lay the foundation for that are included in this budget document,” said Wickremesinghe while reading the proposals entailed in the Budget 2024 in parliament yesterday.
The budget has allocated a sum of Rs. 2.35 billion to uplift the sector across different levels.
An allocation of Rs. 1 billion has been made to implement a long-term programme in a new form under ‘Visit Sri Lanka’ from 2024 to promote the tourism sector. The programme is expected to lure at least five million tourists to Sri Lanka every year.  To facilitate this objective, the government, provincial councils, and local government

institutions are expected to step up efforts, asserted Wickremesinghe, stating they “should do a lot of work”.
While the responsibilities of meeting the basic needs of the tourism sector are assigned to the Provincial Councils, efforts are underway to strengthen provincial tourism boards. An allocation of Rs. 750 million has been made in this regard, which is to develop the necessary infrastructure to improve the country’s offering. Further, to increase the room capacity in the country, the budget 2024 proposed providing a facelift for over 720 government-owned resorts and tourist bungalows. The upliftment of these properties would add 3,750 to the current pool of rooms across the country for tourism.
An allocation of Rs. 600 million has been made for this purpose. Meanwhile, a sum of Rs. 750 million has been allocated to develop the Pinnawala- Kithulgala Tourism Corridor , an effort that will be rolled out as a joint programme within a period of 3 years.