Sri Lankan Tourism and Lands Minister Harin Fernando invited India’s tourism and hospitality leaders to look at Sri Lanka as a destination for their investments since the country offers a unique opportunity at the moment when its economy as well as tourism sector rebounce from the crisis that had enveloped the country last year.

Fernando was addressing the Travel and Tourism Summit held in New Delhi on Thursday which was attended by over 150 influencers from the sector

“Sri Lanka is a very receiving nation. Sri Lanka is a country that has a mix of things such as a place where youngsters would want to do adventures, relax on the beach, history, culture, wildlife and so much more. Sri Lanka is nominated as one of the best diving destinations in Singapore within a month, so Sri Lanka is going to be a land of opportunities at the moment,” said Fernando, who was the Chief Guest at the event.

“India is among the top tourism source markets for Sri Lanka. India and Sri Lanka have strong diplomatic and historical relations,’’ he added. Fernando said that tourism industry was poised to stage a smart recovery not just in Sri Lanka, but the entire Asian continent.

“South East Asian tourism industry is predicted to recover to 67 pc of 2019 levels in 2023, and is expected to reach 101 pc of 2019 levels in 2024, while North East Asia is expected to recover to 97 pc of 2019 levels in 2024. South Asia is expected to recover to 95 pc of 2019 levels in the same year. South Asia remains a popular destination of tourists from various regions, including South Asia itself,” he told the gathering.