Sri Lanka targets Saudis for tourism

Citizens and expatriates from Saudi Arabia have been increasingly visiting or traveling through Sri Lanka.
“There has been a 30 percent jump in tourist and business traffic from Saudi Arabia and we are going to focus more on the Kingdom and the rest of the Middle East as they have great spending capacity, especially in the wake the economic boom,” Sri Lankan Deputy Tourism Minister Faiszer Musthapha told Arab News in an interview at the residence of Consul General Abdul Latiff Mohamed Lafeer yesterday.
This year alone, from January to date, 5,000 Saudis and 10,000 expatriates from the Kingdom visited Sri Lanka, he said, adding that his country is planning a series of road shows in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam later this year to focus on its potential as a tourist resort for Saudi families.
“Saudis are increasingly realizing that the Indian Ocean island is a value-for-money holiday resort, and what interests them is the availability of halal food all over. The island’s starred hotels, which offer 15,000 rooms, all display Qibla direction signboards in rooms,” Musthapha said.
The country has a 10 percent Muslim population and is dotted with mosques.
With wetlands and jungles teeming with colorful butterflies and exotic primates, the island is planning to lure a new type of tourist who prefers wildlife to beach life. It boasts hundreds of lakes and lush paddy fields for visitors to explore.
Musthapha said he expects an increase of 30 percent tourists in 2008-09.
“We do not see the kind of growth in other markets, as the growth in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East is primarily due to oil revenue and economic prosperity. Also, the close proximity is an important factor,” he said.
He said the country is learning from the experience of Malaysia, which through its sustained campaign, succeeded in significantly boosting its tourist traffic. “We are about five hours away by air from Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia is another three hours from Colombo. Our additional effort will be to attract Malaysia-bound tourists to take a break in Sri Lanka.”
Mustapha said Sri Lanka’s major challenge is terrorism, which the country has been facing in its northern and eastern parts. “However, we have eradicated the threat in the east,” he said.
“Some incidents have fueled negative sentiments, but we are earnestly working on promoting Sri Lanka as a safe destination, which is what it really is,” he added.