Counting on Indian Tourists: Sri Lanka's Path to Economic Recovery

Right now, in the city of Colombo, there is a large convention taking place for travel agents from India. These travel agents are experts who help people plan their vacations. Sri Lanka wants to attract more Indian tourists to their country in the future. They believe that tourism can be a major source of income from other countries.

Sri Lanka has faced some difficult times in the past due to which tourism is now pondered upon as a solution. First, there were some frightening attacks in 2019 that made people afraid to visit. Then, the pandemic made things even worse. After that, they faced a significant financial problem. However, now there is a glimmer of hope, and they believe that Indian tourists can help them recover.

It appears that Indian tourists have a strong affinity for Sri Lanka. Even during the tough times, they continued to visit. In fact, in 2022, when Sri Lanka was experiencing its worst financial crisis, a remarkable 24% of all tourists came from India! That's a substantial number of people, surpassing tourists from Russia and the United Kingdom.

Why are Indian tourists so crucial?

Well, due to the global recession and the financial struggles faced by many countries, India and China are seen as the "low hanging fruits" for Sri Lanka. This means that they are the easiest countries to attract tourists from. Sri Lanka is making special efforts to strengthen its relationship with India and China to ensure that more people come to visit.

And here's another exciting development: Air China has resumed flights between Colombo and Chengdu, a city in China. They are aiming to attract more Chinese tourists as well. Additionally, Air India has announced daily flights between Chennai, a city in India, and Jaffna, a beautiful place in Sri Lanka. 

Therefore, Sri Lanka has high hopes that these Indian and Chinese tourists will come and contribute significantly to the country's economy. They are even considering turning the entire BIMSTEC area (a group of countries in the region) into one large tourist destination. This way, they can showcase all the amazing attractions they have to offer.

It's like inviting many friends over to have fun and spend money. Sri Lanka is genuinely excited about the future and eagerly awaits the arrival of their new friends from India and China to explore and experience the wonders of their country. With the financial constraints on the country, income from tourism can be seen as a great relief. Sri Lanka is thus focusing on inviting tourism from other nations.