Srilanka

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa delegated two senior parliamentarians on Tuesday to convey his condolences on the death of Oman ruler Sultan Qaboos to the new ruler of the Sultanate.Accordingly, State Minister of International Cooperation Susil Premjayanth and former minister and parliamentarian Faiszer Mustapha left for Oman Tuesday evening.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa instructed officials to plan a target-based strategy to promote the tourism industry in Sri Lanka.Increasing income from tourism to USD 10 billion by 2025, the industry can play the leading role in economic growth, President said during a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation held at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday.&We require a skilled team with expertise and dedication. Every step should generate immediate results. On my part I do not hesitate to take decisions for the benefit of the country. I expect the officials would commit themselves to pass benefits of such decisions onto the public. If there is a target -based plan, every challenge can be overcome&, said the President.

Issues identified related to the tourism sector and measures to promote the industry were broadly discussed.President emphasized the necessity of upgrading the quality of facilities provided to tourists visiting the country and amenities at airports should be streamlined.Importance of developing places of tourist attraction and building an effective promotional mechanism was also highlighted by the President. The indigenous Ayurvedic system has already become highly popular among foreigners. Priority should be given to promote unique activities such as surfing and promoting Ceylon tea. Shopping malls should be equipped with requirements sought after by tourists. The need of a systematic mechanism to attract tourists was also stressed.