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Nightlife boost for cities by December

16 Sep 2022

  • Tourism State Minister Diana in talks with hoteliers, tourism unions, Police
BY Buddhika Samaraweera The State Ministry of Tourism is currently discussing a programme with tourism sector stakeholders and other parties to increase tourist arrivals through several entertainment avenues proposed to be implemented in all major cities by December, involving night clubs, food festivals, concerts, exhibitions, relaxed liquor sales held round the clock, and particularly at night. Speaking to The Morning, newly appointed State Minister of Tourism Diana Gamage said that both locals and foreigners tend to visit other countries, spending huge sums of money in the process, due to the lack of entertainment opportunities within Colombo and other major cities, particularly at night, which usually include aspects such as night clubs, food festivals, and musical shows. “In our country, tourists would stay at their hotels after 10 p.m., as they have no entertainment activities to engage in after that time. There are limited ways of earning US dollars in locations such as Sigiriya, Dambulla, Anuradhapura, and Polonnaruwa. The tourists only pay for the ticket and for the accommodation. Therefore, we should think of ways to create more opportunities for them to spend money here,” she added. Towards that end, Gamage said that programmes such as gem exhibitions, street food festivals, and musical and cultural shows can be held in major cities including Colombo. In addition, she said that the limitations imposed on the sale of liquor should be removed, as most of the purposes of such limitations are not relevant to tourists. Due to such limitations, she said, even locals who are financially able tend to travel to locations such as Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Maldives, spending more money there. Commenting on commercial sex workers in the country, she said: “As in every other country, there are commercial sex workers here. Many of them have diseases, as they are not concerned about their health and safety. When they seek treatment in institutions such as hospitals, they face discrimination. Sex workers should also be included in the entertainment programmes. I am not saying that brothels should be established down the line, but we can formalise their profession to the fullest extent possible.” Noting that it is during the upcoming winter season that most tourists visit Sri Lanka, Gamage said that steps should therefore be taken to implement these programmes at least by the coming December. She also said that she has already started discussions with the Police, hoteliers, tourism sector-based trade unions (TUs), and other relevant parties regarding the matter. Through this programme, she said, it would be possible to uplift the tourism sector, which has faced several challenges in the past few years. Given the Easter Sunday terror attacks in 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the economic crisis prevalent at present, the tourism industry has suffered a great setback, with the number of tourists visiting the country drastically falling over the past few years. The prevailing issues caused by the crisis situation such as the shortages of essential commodities including gas and fuel in the recent past, and the lack of transportation facilities, has further reduced the arrival of tourists.


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