The Tourism Ministry has formulated a plan to attract seven lakhs of tourists annually to Sri Lanka. The tourism industry saw a sharp decline during the war, but it is beginning to regain its lost image, the Tourism Ministry said.

Tourism Minister Nandana Gunathilaka told The Island Financial Review that a number of tourism promotion campaigns had commenced and the ministry would be in coordination with other ministries to help improve the tourism industry.

He pointed out that tourism industry could not be developed without the support of other ministries because the industry was in dire need of required infrastructure facilities needed by visiting tourists. Infrastructure facilities such as good roads, highways, gardens, bridges and airports were sine qua non to attract both local and foreign tourists.

Minister Gunathilaka added that the Sri Lanka Hotel Management Institute had decided to enroll 5000 students to be trained in hotel management in 2010. It was found that there had been a dearth of skilled personnel in the tourism industry and action had been taken to train all sections of the industry.

He said that the Ministry had realized that the services of three wheel drivers were necessary to develop tourism and had taken steps to train three wheel drivers on tourist industry and hospitality management. Minister Gunathilaka empahsised that communication skills were important to clearly communicate with tourists and the ministry had already commenced language training programmes of tourist guides.

Most tourists were interested in eco-tourism and clear explanations of ancient places and objects of Sri Lanka.