Sri Lanka plans to tap Indian tourists to revive the South Asian island’s battered tourism sector and shore up its depleted foreign exchange reserves.Authorities will hold roadshows starting next month in five Indian cities to attract travellers seeking “wellness, leisure, and Ramayana-trail,” tours, corporate functions and destination weddings, said Harin Fernando, the South Asian island’s tourism minister. Ramayana is the mythological life story of the Hindu god Ram.
“We believe that Indian tourists will be very important for us in the short term,” he said in a virtual conference with reporters Wednesday.
The worst economic meltdown since independence, coupled with political turmoil, has hurt the nation’s tourism sector, that’s been a key driver of foreign currency inflows. Sri Lanka’s forex pile has dwindled to a meagre $1.89 billion in May even as it needs nearly $6 billion in the next few months to tackle shortages and support its currency.