Underscoring the importance of the industry to the development of the country, President Chandrika Kumaratunga has appointed Anura Bandaranaike as the new Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Promotion.
Bandaranaike is one of the most senior members of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance.
The resumption of the peace process will be a key focus of the new government, ensuring that tourist arrivals continue to set new records, surpassing the half-million mark achieved in 2003.
Local and foreign investors are bullish about the potential of the industry, backing many major tourism related developments.
Among overseas investors are the Singapore based Banyan Tree Group which has secured the management contract for the prestigious Deer Park complex. The group has also acquired the Swanee hotel beach property on the south coast.
Adrian Zecha's famous Amanresorts International is developing five upscale properties - in the hill capital Kandy, Colombo, Galle and Tangalle on the south coast - all due to be operational within the next two years.
The Jetwing Group, whose flagship Light House Hotel and Spa in Galle has won international recognition, plans to launch several upmarket resort properties - in the cultural triangle, east coast and south coast - between 2005 and 2006.
Other major local hotel groups, among them John Keells Holdings, Aitken Spence, Confifi Group and Tropical Leisure Management, whose chairman, Prasanna Jayewardene created Elephant Corridor, a unique eco-hotel in the historic North Central province, are developing new hotel and resort properties and upgrading existing ones.
A major complex under development is the Bentota Tourist Resort (Stage II) to the south of the capital Colombo in which 4,000 acres - including two large bodies of water called Dedduwa Lake - will be transformed into a world class tourism facility.
Among attractions at the resort will be a golf course, race course, floating restaurant, international class amusement park, boating and nature trails and bird-watching facilities.
The infrastructure of the area will also be developed to international standards providing a road network, communications services, accommodation and healthcare facilities.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) has identified and registered 50 gracious manor houses located in many scenic parts of the island for development as boutique hotels and resorts.
The adoption of an open skies aviation policy by Sri Lanka has also opened the door to a number of new airlines using Colombo as part of their regional and global route network. These include Jet Air, Sahara and Arabian Airlines.
Recently signed bilateral air service agreements between Sri Lanka and Kuwait and Sri Lanka and Qatar will raise the number of flights between the Middle East and Colombo to meet increasing demand.
To further address the capacity shortage in the Middle East, Emirates added five new services per week between Colombo and Dubai as of March 20.
Sri Lanka's national carrier SriLankan Airlines has opened several new routes, notably to cities in India and China.
The planned launch of a direct service between Colombo and Beijing next October will take advantage of the increase in tourist arrivals from China.
Gulf News
