Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando has not attended the progress review meeting called for by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today.

The President’s Office confirmed that the Minister had not attended the meeting, while it did not provide any reason for his absence.

Prior to accepting a ministerial portfolio, Harin Fernando had said that although he joined the Government to save the economy he still supports the “Gota Go Gama’ anti-government protest.

However, all the Tourism Ministry officials and relevant representatives attended the progress review meeting.

Meanwhile, during the discussion, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa instructed officials to find a new approach to attract tourists to Sri Lanka.

He pointed out that there are over 4 million people involved in small and medium-scale businesses related to the tourism sector.The President said the tourism sector had been continuously affected due to the Easter Attacks, the Covid pandemic, and now the economic crisis.

He further pointed out the need to expedite the efforts to revive the tourism sector.As a key measure, he stressed the importance of working with foreign embassies in Sri Lanka to ensure that false information is not spread about the situation in the country.

The discussion also focused on the shortage of gas and fuel which has been identified as a key factor affecting the tourism industry. (NewsWire)