Sri Lanka has a rapidly growing tourism industry which contributes significantly to the economic growth of the country.
Sri Lankan tourism history dates back even before Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948. Sri Lanka, the pearl of the Indian Ocean as it is widely known has attracted foreigners from early historical times. The first step to develop tourism was taken by the colonial government before the Second World War and the government tourist bureau was set up in 1937 to help the large volume of passengers sailing between west and east through the ports of Colombo. The bureau ceased operations with beginning of the Second World War.
According to the Sri Lankan tourism history, after independence the government established a second tourist bureau in 1948 but the Sri Lankan tourism industry did not develop much. Proper steps were taken by the government to develop tourism in Sri Lanka in 1966 in a systematic manner. The Ceylon tourist board and the Ceylon Hotels Corporation were set by the Ceylon tourist board act no 10 of 1966. The main aim was to achieve economic development through the rapid increase in tourism. This helped in developing the Sri Lankan hospitality industry as well as a boost to the tourism industry. Tourism developed rapidly in Sri Lanka after 1966 with beach resorts and ancient cities like Kandy and Anuradhapura being the main attractions.
The long ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka affected tourism industry in Sri Lanka very badly and tourists’ arrivals declined enormously but since the end of the conflict in 2009, tourist arrivals have doubled. As the Sri Lankan hospitality industry and tourism industry plays a crucial role in the economic development of Sri Lanka , the government of Sri Lanka is implementing a master plan which envisages the arrival of 2.5 million tourists by 2016.
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